General Grievous: Gunray's Disposition
by GeneralPen0412
Summary: Ever wondered why it is that General Grievous and Viceroy Nute Gunray despise each other so much? Well so have I! This story is my take on the founding reasons behind their tenuous relationship. Please note this story is rated T for Teen.
1. Chapter 1

Greetings, everybody.

Welcome to this my second Star Wars Fanfiction.

As before this story will primarily revolve around General Grievous, but will explore his relationship with what would become other key Separatist figures. I will also demonstrate my take on the origins of one of the deadliest war machines ever to appear in the Star Wars Universe. Most importantly it will focus on the bitterness and rivalry that developed between the Kaleesh Warlord and the Neimoidian business man. This story is purely of my own design but draws on elements and locations from the expanded universe, including the Darth Bane trilogy.

**Setting:** This one shot story is set between the end of the Naboo crisis, and the instigation of the Clone Wars. In this story Grievous is still a Kaleesh but has already taken up the title that will one day become so infamous. This story can be considered a prequel to my original story: Prove your Worth.

**Summary:** Why does Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation hate the cybernetic General Grievous, a man who is supposed to be his ally, so much? The answer lies in an incident which occurred some time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, in a time before Grievous even became a cyborg. It is a tale of greed, corruption, and a game of chance, which ultimately carried over into a life time of hatred.

This story is based on those events.

**Rating: **This story is rated T for Teen. Be warned this story contains mild violence, makes reference to gambling, drinks and narcotics. There will also be some implications of sexual encounters.

**Disclaimer:** As always I do not own Star Wars or any of its associated characters / locations / quotes. These belong to their respective owners.

"_Safe?! Ha, Chancellor Palpatine managed to escape your grip General. Without Count Dooku, I have doubts about your ability to keep us safe!"_

"_Be thankful Viceroy, that you have not found yourself in my grip!"_

_**What would be Nute Gunray and General Grievous' final exchange.**_

**Gunray's disposition**

The Kaleesh warrior stood rigid and to attention, arms folded across his barreled chest. His golden eyes sharp and focused, scoured every inch of the entertainment facility, watching for signs of trouble. Unable to spot anything that might otherwise concern him, he simply groaned in exasperation. Three hours in, and he was sick of this job, tired of all this over caution and seemingly endless waiting. Then again he probably wouldn't have minded, but for the simple fact that all three of those hours revolved around his standing outside this solitary doorway, on the lower most levels of this gaming facility, whilst his employers dabbled in politics, financial gain and other trade exploits with potential clients and financiers in their own lavish private quarters.

Compared to most of the other exploits that he was randomly sent on his instructions regarding this particular assignment had been relatively standard. He was to bar this entrance / exit way and make sure that none of the other patrons or staff members interrupted the private gatherings / exploits. This was perhaps as great an indicator as any that most of the deals were shady, but Grievous did not care. His was legitimate, honest work and at the end of the day that was all that mattered.

So far nothing had happened to spark his interest, nor get his blood pumping and his adrenaline souring. Curious onlookers and several entertainers had thrown the odd glance his way, though a few of the intoxicated hurled abuse to match, and several members of the staff had approached him cautiously throughout various stages of the shift, perhaps thinking that he was a particularly agitated customer. He was anything but that though and a few harsh stares, followed up by bestial snarls had been enough to deter most of the onlookers. The few that let their curiosity get the better of them or otherwise antagonised him soon bore the full brunt of his displeasure, but these minor scrapes and short brawls were nothing disconcerting.

Grievous clenched the fingers of his right hand into a fist, digging his talon like nails so tightly into his palm it made his knuckles crack and almost pierced the skin. He unclenched his fist and with a exasperated grunt propped himself up against the door as best he could. Turning his gaze downwards, he noticed a loss gaming chip had somehow found its way over to him, and now rested so close that Grievous could easily have stooped down and picked it up. Unaware of the color schemes however meant Grievous was uncertain of its value, perhaps a few credits worth at most, it was unlikely to conceal a small fortune otherwise someone would most surely have come looking for it by now.

Grievous simply kicked the chip away absent mindedly. He had no interest in finding out either way, or taking part in the competitive fields that encompassed him. With a second sigh he raised his head up and returned to his vigil, keeping himself propped against the door, arms still folded in what he hoped was a intimidating posture. Gazing absent mindedly across the entertainment facility did nothing to relieve his tension however, and within seconds boredom quickly settled in. Eyes narrowing Grievous' gaze settled on the floor once more, and he kicked it with the talons of his left foot with a displeased grunt.

_This was getting ridiculous! _

This was the work of bouncers and hired guns used to whittling away their time in exchange for small coin. Grievous was a soldier, above all other things, his patrons knew that, and he was not just any particular kind of warrior at that either. He was a warlord, THE WARLORD at that, the hopes and prospects of all his peoples rested upon HIS shoulders. Grievous' loyalty should belong to nobody, no one except perhaps himself and the interests of the people he protected and ruled over.

If the situation had been different perhaps he could have been ruling Kalee by now with an iron clad fist, helping to create a golden age for his peoples, one in which the Kaleesh lived free of fear and injustice, in a paradise rivaled only by that of the gods and in such a way that it would have made his ancestors weep with joy.

Grievous sighed mournfully now, his head bowed and face screwed up beneath his bone mask. His heart was suddenly heavy, racked by sorrow and grief, those golden pupils tinted with perhaps the tiniest trace of moisture. It was a cruel game the gods played twisting with his emotions like that, and sometimes it made Grievous wish that he could not feel, anything to ease the burden now settled upon his chest.

This was another downside to this particular job placement; the long hours in which it took the Muuns to sate their insatiable greed, seemed to slow themselves down to a cave slug crawl. Whenever that happened, and a man like Grievous had nothing left to occupy himself with, all that he had left to occupy himself with was his memories and past experiences.

_Hindsight is a terrible thing_, Grievous had come to realise and right now _hindsight and __time_ were among the very few things that he had left. Enough to comprehend on what might of been. On just how much his life had changed in these past few months, and how everything had gone so terribly wrong ...

Upon casting off the shackles of his old identity, Qymaen Jai Sheelal had ceased to exist (as far as he was concerned) and Grievous as he had taken to call himself, had reformed and re-organised his peoples before leading them on a tremendous campaign of blood shed, conquest and glory! Spurred on by their masters successes, and refusing to back down to those vial soulless invaders, the Kaleesh peoples, comprised almost entirely of Grievous' kolkpravis had achieved victory after successive victory, eventually achieving the ultimate ambition in driving the vial Huk invaders not just from Kalee but several of their other nearby colony worlds. This later most step had enabled the Saurischian's to claim all the benefits that came with this maneuver; the establishment of their own small empire, exponential and trade resources, vibrant worlds upon which to establish colonies, and endless settling grounds until finally the Kaleesh war machine was on the verge of taking / conquering Huk itself.

In that brief instant, in the calm before the storm Grievous and his soldiers had appeared invincible.

They stood on the verge of success. Even now Grievous clearly recalled the wave of emotion that ran through him as he prepared to give that final most devastating order, and upon how he had reveled in it. Wrongs were about to be righted! Future generations would be secured. The vile Huk invaders were about to get the comeuppance. They would not as many people had suspected be exterminated, but simply such a devastating blow as to insure that they never challenged the collective might of the Kaleesh ever again.

That way his people could live in prosperity, harmony and freedom. His beloved; Ronderu and so many others, the endless fallen who had paid the ultimate price, for which he Grievous, had given so much, and whose loss he felt and carried with him every day via his chosen name were about to be avenged, and forever remembered. A great burden it appeared was about to lift itself off Grievous' shoulders ...

... **then, in an instant, barely more than an eye blink everything had changed** ...

It seemed that the Huk's were a lot more manipulative and calculating than Grievous or any other Kaleesh had ever anticipated. Recognising that they could not defeat Grievous on the battlefield, the insectoids had played their last, great trump card. In an act of total cowardice the Yam'rii ambassadors partitioned the Galactic Senate for aid and support, fabricating a tale that**_ it was the Kaleesh_** who were the aggressors and that the Huk's now faced total extinction (_well that possibility at least had certainly been true_). With their planets ravaged by war, and the swathe of destruction that had been cut across every sector of the Kadok Region it did not take much for the decadent Republic to side with the insectoids.

Mustering aid and support, the Republic had sent swathes of cruisers and an army headed by no fewer than fifty Jedi knights, to deal with it regarded as 'the Kaleesh menace'. Following a bloody conflict on the Yam'rii home world that reaped a devastating bounty in both Kaleesh and conscripts lives, Grievous pulled his forces back from Huk. As if to rub salt in the wounds, the 'negotiations' as they had been termed for lack of a more appropriate term turned out to be nothing more than an effective round off to the war. The Kaleesh had already been found guilty of heinous, unrepentant war crimes against a Republic ally. As such the Jedi commanders, those so called 'guardians of the peace' and 'protectors of all peoples' had dealt out harsh reprimands and sanctions against the 'invasive' reptilians. They claimed it was an effort to quench the rebellion and stop the fighting which had taken place across Kadok.

In truth it was an effort to subjugate the Kaleesh and ensure that an uprising of this scale would never befall the Republic's Huk allies, ever again.

Pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears, and several high ranking members from amongst Kaleesh society were carted off to Coruscant to stand trial for war crimes against the Yam'rii. Grievous himself only escaped this fate due to the intervention of his closest friends and allies, who stated that if he was captured then any hope that the Kaleesh ever had of rising up against these sanctions and its deceiving master minds would surely fail. At the time these had sounded like rational arguments, but in time he came to wish that he had been taken, to be locked away and faced the inevitable conclusion of containment and death within a Republic prison cell.

It was not to be!

Grievous escaped death that day, only to suffer an even worse fate. Forced to endure agony and torment, he was forced to watch first had as everything that he had worked so hard for was undone. Powerless, and incapable Grievous could only watch as the colony worlds were stripped from Kaleesh control and handed back over to the laughing insectoids. Banned from trade with Republic affiliated worlds, Kalee had quickly fallen into a state of poverty and economic decline. In a matter of weeks the clans began to starve. In the coming months tribes were divided, families split asunder and the Kaleesh peoples reeled from scores of tragic, needless loses.

Grievous himself, was among that number.

Following the loss of Ronderu, and before the start of that terrible war Qymaen Jai Sheelal had settled down temporarily, becoming a clan leader, a husband to ten beautiful wives and father to thirty energetic, magnificent children. His children; the oldest would be a late teenager by know whilst the youngest was closely approaching the age of twelve. Though he accepted that none of them had ever equated the love and loss that he had felt for Ronderu, that did not stop Grievous loving them (even now). He would have done anything to protect those he cared about, and promised himself that he would do all he could to safeguard his families future.

Now Grievous, wished he had never married, wished that he had never been able to have children, and above he wished that he had **never** made that vow! Anything that would negate the negative emotions that flowed through, and the guilt that now crashed over him, for these numbers had been decimated, so that now Grievous did not even have half of that original number now left to call his own. **One by one** he was forced to bury his kinsman, alongside the other victims of this growing epidemic, knowing that their losses would be his burden to bear, both now and forever.

As time dragged on there was no sign of improvement, and despite endless streams of offerings and recitals the Gods remained silent, failing or refusing to offer advice as to how their children should best proceed. When prayers did not work, the sons and daughters of Kalee turned to the only material answer that they knew best; **WAR!** Infighting, became the norm across the planets surface. The situation had become so dire that a number of Kaleesh formed up into what would best be called piratical bands, launching raids against neighboring systems and trading routes in an effort to acquire some of the most basic necessities; such as food rations, medicinal supplies and armaments for the benefits of future raids.

Still others took to hiring themselves out to bounty hunters and other mercenary groups, risking their own lives in exchange for a small portion of the income which could prove beneficial in legally securing aid and rations to feed their starving families. The great majority of the Kolkpravis however, chose to remain on world, but there was no longer any hope of unity. For the first in millennia the tribes became territorial. Resentment towards others started to settle in and alliances were tested to the absolute limit each of the clans jealously guarding what little they had.

Intra-specific competition and raids ensued, resulting in even further loses.

Then, quite unexpectedly an opportunity had presented itself, one in which Grievous, still wracked in his grief, found a way to help and benefit his peoples once more.

It had started when several rebellious tribes banded together, with the intent of purging the ones that they (understandably) viewed as responsible for all their peoples suffering. Grievous and his surviving blood line! Though he was loathed at the spilling of any more Kaleesh blood, than was absolutely necessary Grievous realised that his clans very survival depended on his actions and he was not about to let the innocent suffer for what had been his mistakes. After single handedly confronting the vastly treacherous horde, the Khagan had his Izvoshra put those responsible for a number of murders within Grievous' own clan to death, and the survivors assimilated into his own tribe.

It was as the camp was being searched that Grievous was shocked to discover that several strange looking alien creatures were held and contained within a makeshift prison tent. Upon meeting the curious stares of the onlookers, one of them had been bold and wise enough to introduce himself to his new capture. They were Muun's, and this particular individual went by the name of San Hill. Intrigued, Grievous inquired further. It turned out that the Muun's had been captured by the rebel clans whilst on an exploratory mission of the Kadok system. From the conversation that followed Grievous deduced that the rebel chiefs intended to hold the Muun and several of his aids to ransom, vowing to kill them unless the Republic reduced the Kaleesh peoples sanctions.

Upon hearing of their connections to the Galactic Senate and knowing that the outcome would probably be disastrous either way, Grievous had decided it best to show some small level of compassion and ordered the highly prestigious Muun's to be set free at once. He had expected the aliens to be furious and hostile for their harsh treatment, promising to contact the Republic demanding further reprimand.

He was taken aback therefore when the Muun's simply laughed the matter off, as if it was an everyday occurrence and then upon requesting an explanation at to the reasons behind this, demonstrated (there was no other word for it) absolute pity for the Kaleesh's plight. The greatest surprise however, was yet to come!

At the evening banquet, which the Muun's had so aptly invited themselves along to, owing no doubt to a lack of anything else to do whilst Grievous' troops arranged a transport for them which would get them safely off world and all the way back to Muunilinst, Hill suddenly stood up and requested to speak to all of the gathered leaders and respective clan chieftains. Once they were assembled, within the relatively confines of a Kaleesh hide and mud Hill had surprised them all by offering up a business venture, which he promised in time could save the Kaleesh from their irrefutable decline. Stating that the Muun's pockets ran deep, Hill proposed to take up the massive debt owed to the Republic and pay it off in the Kaleesh's stead.

Exploiting an elusive but exciting loop hole in the sanctions declaration, the chairman of the I.B.C also revealed that whilst the clan did indeed hold delegation and vast support within the Senatorial ranks the Muun's operated on an independent basis, free from Republic control. As such it would be a simple matter for the chairman to say; petition several investors more loyal to the banking clan than the Republic, in order to re-encourage exportation of Kalee's dangerous wild beasts and other goods thus helping the Kaleesh to get their economy back on track.

The various chiefs and shamans exchanged enthusiastic glances, barely able to contain their excitement. This offer was a god send, an opportunity which the sons and daughters of Kalee had been waiting for. Yet even so, the surviving warlords were very cautious and weary with taking up this offer. Like so many other things that had presented themselves in recent years, this proposal seemed almost to good to be true ...

... **_and indeed it was._**

"_My dear sweet friends"_ _San Hill had laughed in a manner which made the various chieftains despise him even more than they already did so. __"I know that our cultures are different and our systems separated by many parsec but surely you can understand the arrangement between business partners. This is an arrangement between different parties, both side must receive and acquire equal compensation for what they have to offer. You don't get something for nothing you know!_"

_He had laughed uproariously again, making several of the elders including Grievous glare at him. Bentilais San Sk'ar had actually snarled and bared his teeth at him, hand tightening upon the grip of his war staff. He wasn't the only one, several hands shifted tentatively towards their owners weapons. Perhaps noticing this the Muun had hastily stifled his amusement and added__, "But please do not panic. As I said we understand the full severity of your current situation. Which is why, we have a simple, reasonable request in exchange for all of the support which we are offering you. One which, I think shall mutually benefit both our factions!"_

Mutual_ benefit_, Grievous recalled, that was the way San Hill put it and when the Kaleesh finally demanded just what that recompense would be exactly, the Muun simply raised an elongate, emaciated looking finger and pointed straight at Grievous. **He **was the requested bargaining chip!

Having witnessed Grievous' capabilities first hand, the Muun's single demand for all this was that in exchange for the Muuns support and promised materials; Grievous would come and work for the Banking Clan, as an enforcer. Despite heavy protests (the Izvoshra being amongst the most outspoken among them) the I.B.C would not hire any other Kaleesh. Hill promised the each of the Kolkpravis that their Khagan would be well cared for and richly rewarded for his services.

The finality with which Hill had rounded off his argument, made the intentions of his offer perfectly clear; **This is my first and only offer ... **

**... t****ake it or leave it!**

Even now Grievous was still able to recall the way the rest of the spectators had all looked at him. Some had said he should refuse, others pleaded otherwise stating they had no other options. The anguish within each of their eyes. The desperation in which the people he loved stared at him, the way they bickered and argued back and forth amongst the themselves voicing their unsaid pleas, whilst the Muun's looked on with cold contempt knowing that they won no matter the outcome.

Even as he looked on at his wives despair, and the Izvoshra's torment Grievous thought he sensed a spur of intrigue and hopefulness in San Hill's expression. It had been enough to make even him look away, starring off into the endless flames that provided heat and illumination to the great bickering shadows which were cast over him as he weighed up his options; his own humility and personal struggles against the decline of his peoples and the irrefutable extinction of their culture.

** It was no contest! **

**After making sure of the guaranteed care and lasting protection of his surviving clan and family members under the Izvoshra's care and after ensuring that the Muuns would deliver on their promise within hours of his departure Grievous accepted the conditions. A few hours later he departed from his home world as a simple pilot on route to Muunilinst with San Hill's entourage.**

* * *

San Hill it transpired was as good as his word.

No sooner had they touched down upon the Muuns home planet, when Grievous received a transmission from the Bentilais San and the other Izvoshra stating that the promised rations had arrived. Since then, Grievous had been treated like royalty and had indeed proven himself to be very capable and effective at his job. Hardened by years of experience on the battlefield, Grievous had found himself to be an intimidating figure and had relatively little trouble in 'persuading' certain individuals indebted to the Banking Clan to hand over their promised investments, or to otherwise pat outstanding fees back over to the Muuns. His exploits had taken him to many regions of the galaxy. As promised, each successive mission brought Grievous nothing short of a small fortune in wages and material goods. Much to the Clans amusement and confusion however, the Kaleesh warlord generally refused to keep it, and instead donated the majority of his wealth to the necessary factions that would benefit his peoples, and aid in their recovery.

In truth however, Grievous hated and despised his job. Whilst he liked to think of himself as an honest figure doing what he was paid to do and for the benefit of those he cared for, there was little doubt that violence was a necessary component of his employ and that death and destruction tended to follow in his wake. Whilst he was certain that most of the individuals he had been forced to kill throughout his exploits would not be solemnly missed, all that this did was to further highlight just how significant the amount of corruption and debauchery was stretched across the galaxy these days. No matter how far he went or where abouts these simple factors seemed to be an everyday fact of life, and were to be found not just outside the Republics control but from within areas that often times claimed to support and reinforce it.

Grievous turned his gaze upwards again, contemplating upon how the establishment that he now surrounded him was perhaps as fine an example as any, as to just how far the galaxy had fallen.

Aptly named, the entertainment station called 'Paradise', was a place were just about anything in the galaxy was possible. Created at the behest of several Muun investors more than a millennium ago, the self sustained space station was open to people from every echelon of society. Sentient's traveled from light year's away to stay in one of the eighteen lavish hotels, gamble at any number of the extravagant twenty casino's or dine within the richly ornate pubs and restaurants before visiting some of the _other_ entertainment facilities. Hill had once proudly told his enforcer that this station had no equal, and Grievous could believe it. Evidently the Muun viewed it as a worthy investment and an iconic symbol of his forefathers collective intellect and foresight.

Grievous viewed it from a slightly different perspective; **disdain**. Everywhere he looked, the Kaleesh saw people from the lower most reaches of society. Outlaws, bandits, pirates, slavers and other criminal members outnumbered the majority of what might be called the moderately decent peoples that were just seeking a good time. Credits were gambled and thrown at an exponential rate, drinks were downed in great fathoms, and the air stunk so badly from a mixture of narcotics and alcoholic beverages that the filtering systems suspended in the ceilings could barely cope.

Fights, as Grievous had gathered, were not uncommon here, so he was unsurprised to see significant individuals surrounded by several highly equipped bodyguards, and judging by the look of them several bounty hunters as well. Those unable to afford such a luxuries had to contend with personal armaments. Grievous himself, was garbed in the traditional war attires of his peoples but carried more up to date weaponry. A broad double bladed electrostaff and a DT-57 blaster pistol, both of which were customised unique weapons manufactured to his exact specifications, top of the line and unyielding.

He needed them!

Aside from the relatively frequent bar brawls, Hill had explained that kidnap and murder were a common feature on Paradise and as he had learned (from no less than San Hill himself) not even the Muun's were immune against such debauched actions. Though they themselves never frequented the joint, the people knew who was in control here, and as had been the case with the Kaleesh rebels, there was always someone bold or stupid enough to think that he or she might be able to take a Muun hostage and barter some form of material wealth in exchange for the prisoners safe return. As such the Muuns took no chances, and reinforced security measures were installed whenever they felt need to venture into Paradises quarter. Today, part of that task had fallen to Grievous.

_And yet you permit all this just so that you can make a few more measly little credits_,Grievous thought to himself not daring to speak his thoughts aloud lest the Muuns get wind of it. "BAH!" He snorted, his sneer hidden beneath the features of his Mumuu skull mask. His eyes swept the scenery once more. A group of drunken patrons Grievous took to be pirates were singing drunkenly at a bar, the lyrics slurred and barely discernible above the casino's own singers. Another fight seemed ready to break at one of the gambling tables a short distance away, as the patrons looked just about ready to draw their sidearms. To the far right there came a loud raucous cheering behind a central divider, which Grievous knew led to a small arena / pit, where spectators could watch and bet on the outcome of gladiatorial spectacles. Evidently something had just happened to please the crowd no end, meaning that some unfortunate person or wild beast had just lost its life for the entertainment of the crowd.

Aside from all the gamblers, drinkers and the lavishly oiled droid card sharks which tended most, but not all of the gaming tables (indicating the Muuns preference to actual paid workers), only two things caught Grievous attention. The first was the large number of B1 series battle droids posted at regular intervals across the casino's perimeter. Accompanied by a few burly sentients these automatons, armed with assault rifles made for a cheaper substitutes to the erstwhile bouncers that other casino's often tended to hire.

Grievous snorted again, shaking his head in discontent. _Useless things, _that was his opinion on these walking scrap piles. While others may have treated the droids with caution in such deadly numbers, Grievous was aware that the machines electronic brains operated at a system level barely more intellectual than a standard work drones. From first hand experience Grievous had seen just how pitiful these automatons actually were in combat. On an individual basis they hesitated or struggled with even the most basic of commands, querying every action, more concerned with making sure that they were following a directive to the absolute letter rather than actively succeeding in a mission. With each successive mission that they accompanied him on, a little more of Grievous' patience gradually whittled away until he finally reached his breaking point and went to San Hill asking him to do something about!

This in itself had been a fruitless endeavor, and his original proposals were both instantly rebuffed. No matter how hard he pleaded, the Muuns simply refused to let Grievous command anyone except for the battle units with which they supplied him. They declined to let Grievous summon a number of his Izvoshra or else let him recruit an elite unit from the ranks of his Kolkpravis. They also turned down the proposal to let him hire a group of bounty hunters, even though he offered to pay for them out of his own pocket, and to provide for them in much the same manner as the Muuns were doing so for him.

"You will have to make do with battle droids!" they insisted at the end of these discussions, and in the end Grievous was forced to back down.

That evening however, after the greater portion of his fury had abated Grievous was struck by a source of inspiration and idealistic notion. Having persistently revisiting the Muuns decisive words over in his mind, he hit upon a loop hole in their sentiment, much like San Hill had done with the Republic's sanctions. "_Make do with only battle droids_ _then __hey?" Grievous had muttered to himself. _

_"Right then. We'll see about that!"_

And so it was that after a lot of pondering Grievous came up with an alternative plan. From that point onwards, whenever he had a spare moment between missions the Kaleesh devoted himself over to study and revision, constantly reading up on mechanics, droid design and robotics. This in itself was an easy thing to do as the Muuns library contained sufficient information on the subject, enough to keep a dedicated follower content for all of eternity. As such much of his time was spent in the library and whilst Grievous did not come to quite understand or appreciate all the terminology and everything else that he was reading up on, it was enough to form a basic understanding of how droid mechanics worked.

What followed was far more arduous.

Days and weeks, turned into months and yet still every night Grievous stayed up late within the confines of his quarters. Sat behind a polished desk, one hand clutched at a pen that was continuously pressed against a sheet of flimsi, whilst the other typed persistently upon the keys of a holo-board. Constantly working and reworking his designs into both paper format and hard copy form, Grievous ended up physically drained. In the end however, he was eventually able to refine, rectify and polish his results until at last, at long last he was satisfied with them. All that remained now was to present his idea to his employers.

The gods evidently smiled upon him, because as luck would have it his next meeting with the Muuns came that following day. Once summoned he went to his intended meeting hall without complaint, a small booklet and a holo-disk clutched tightly under one arm. When called in however, Grievous was due for a shock. It was not just San Hill that was waiting for him this but what turned out to be the heads and representatives of several business corporations, including the Techno Union, the Corporate Alliance, the Commerce Guild and the Trade Federation.

Whilst the corporations were unquestionably rivals, it appeared on this occasion that the group shared a mutual interest and as such on this particular occasion it seemed banded together. From the debriefing that followed it turned out that each of the various corporations had been conned and was owed an exponential amount of credits, a massive debt as at were, all from the same client. This individual, operating under several various alias', had gone to ground on the Outer Rim World of Thule, where he had assembled a massive band of mercenaries and bounty hunters in order to protect him. Grievous job was simple, defeat the army and retrieve the investments or bring the kriffin vulture back so that he might face justice. His benefactors promised not only a handsome reward for his effort but each side also pledged an entire division of battle droids, Droideka's and various prototypes to assist in this endeavor.

It was the opportunity Grievous had been waiting for. Even now it brought a smile to Grievous' face to recall the dumbfounded expressions on their faces when he 'generously' accepted their offer but stated that he would only take the Droideka's and prototypes as part of the arrangement, refusing point blank to command the legions of bog-standard battle droids that were being offered to him. Hill had tried laughing the situation off, whilst hissing at Grievous to accept the corporations help so as to avoid upsetting potential enemies. Grievous however, refused to be ordered around, he had spent to much time and effort on this project to turn away now. So after making his personal opinions known and felt, he had presented Hill with an alternative solution.

It was here that the Muun and other guests first beheld his detailed plans for a new battle droid design, one that Grievous had modeled after his allies in the Izvoshra. This he explained, was a droid capable of fighting; that could engage enemies not just from a distance but in hand to hand combat as well. The orientation of the hand configurations enabled it to wield any type of weapon, and their positronic brains, Grievous argued ensured that these units would have the capability not just to adapt to any situation but also the capability to learn from ones mistakes, along with the creativity to think outside the programming in order to achieve a pre-ordained task.

It had taken Hill quite some time to recover from what Grievous interpreted as aftershock. Then, as with every occasion that followed Hill had 'begrudgingly' turned him down. His excuse was that it was to late to influence the outcome of the mission, and that it would not be 'proper' for the Muuns to divert resources that were needed desperately needed elsewhere to satisfy Grievous' own personal agenda.

Grievous had snarled, just like he was doing now his teeth bared, before stomping out of the room saying he was going to get ready for the mission. His designs, which had been accidentally been left behind in his haste were returned once his objective was seen through.

He was no fool, despite what everyone seemed to think. He knew perfectly well what the real reason was for this lack of enthusiasm on the Muun's part actually was. **Fear!** Hill and the others knew what Grievous was capable of, having witnessed it first hand on Kalee or else heard about it from his exploits. The promises to help restore the Kaleesh nations had indeed been fruitful but now he realised really were a double sided coin.

On the one hand Grievous was well cared for and his peoples culture was gradually being restored. This did nothing however to sooth the reality about Grievous' situation. He was in every sense of the word a hostage kept under the watchful eye of his Muuns overseers, and a prisoner forced to do their bidding so as to make sure the Kaleesh warriors toed the line. As far as Hill was concerned, he and the rest of his clan folk had the Kaleesh people and its warriors held in a tight nit noose. One wrong move and the Muuns would simply execute their Khagan, leaving the Kaleesh people without its leader and without a bargaining tool to maintain good relations with the Muuns.

To quench these troublesome thoughts Grievous searched desperately for some form of distraction. It took the form of a number of individuals spotted in and around the mass assemblage. These however were not patrons or customers. Like the patrons this group comprised of both males and females peoples, from a number of species that walked in amongst the crowd, pausing every now and then to offer up the goods that they were selling to any prospective clients. This in itself was nothing extraordinary, but what made these individuals stand out was the sparse amount of clothing that they were wearing, which in some cases bordered on almost nothing at all.

Grievous' glare intensified as he regarded these creatures with pure discontent. These were the stations pleasure slaves; ragged individuals with so little hope or prospect in life that they were forced to sell themselves out to the lowest forms of society in the hope that one day it might lead them to a better future. Personally Grievous doubted that many of them were successful. They were to be found all across the facility, walking in and out of the crowd, busting sweet moves upon the dance platforms in front of a swooning cheering crowd, and in a few cases operating some of the more lucrative gambling stations. A few even stood along the walls alongside the battle droids and bouncers, swooning and waving as tried to catch the eyes of customers looking for something that went beyond the reach of beverage and alcohol. It satisfied Grievous to see not a single Kaleesh was to be found among their ranks. He liked to think that his people were to proud to stoop to such levels and would have killed any that dared to contradict that opinion.

He watched as a number of the scarcely clad females approached one of the nearby tables. The group comprised of a Twi'lek, Ithorian, and Zeltron of indeterminate age alongside a human female that if he had to guess looked to be in her early to mid twenties. Each female carried a tray ladled with trade goods; 'exotic' beverages, various forms of liquor and tobacco leaves. As they approached several of the male players turned their eyes away from the table and focused upon the females instead. Catching the eye of what they regarded to be '_particularly prospective clients_' the women approached at a brisk pace swooning and laughing provocatively as they bent down to offer up free samples of their goods they were selling alongside other _'more pleasurable experiences_'.

Grievous turned away, unable to look at them any longer. His honor as a warrior held him back and dictated that he found such actions repulsive. It was times like these that Grievous wished he had his Izvoshra with him. As majestic as they were powerful these Kaleesh were both loyal and head-strong. Like him they would have the situation repulsive and if necessary slaughtered each and every one of these creatures simply for existing.

And yet even so, Grievous was forced to accept that he could not deny his baser instincts. Much as it revolted him, a part of him secretly wished he was over there with the females, contemplating that perhaps just maybe, it might be good to feel the touch of a woman once more.

The thought about his former comrades however, brought a sense of clarity to Grievous' mind. It was for them and for so many others that he had taken up this profession. No matter how debilitating the task, however lonely he felt and despite the ups and downs of his livelihood, the simple fact was that without his exploits, his people faced a long painful demise through starvation and degradation. He sighed, taking several deep calming breathes as he tried to regain his composure. For the time being at least, this was his livelihood.

When things got better he would return home, but for now this was his profession.

His people, his families lives depended on it and at the end of the day, the simple fact was Grievous indeed treated very well by his employers.

No matter what his personal feelings on the matter, he **must **to bear through this! **He must!** And so with a short sigh but seemingly less heavy sigh Grievous returned to his vigil.

* * *

Grievous lost track of how much time he actually stood there for, but it felt like an eternity, watching as the frequenters enjoyed themselves, taking advantage of everything that Paradise's vast playing fields had to offer. His venture was so uneventful, that when the door suddenly rattled and groaned at the forced effort from someone trying to open it Grievous viewed it as nothing short than a long overdue blessing. He stepped to the side ,and the first to emerge was a silver plated protocol droid. Ignoring Grievous the unit turned its attention to somebody on the stairwell instead, before verbally and physically beckoning them forwards. A large number of smartly dressed people from a number of species proceeded out of the stairwell and into the gaming hall. Grievous was under no illusion as to who they were: these were the Muuns personal guests.

The Kaleesh stood up-straight his posture rigid, feigning a move of regarding them respectively, whilst secretly daring any of them to challenge him. Most of the procession was talking excitedly amongst themselves, and to their armored guards and so generally ignored him, though a few did nod appreciatively as they made their way into the vast playing fields. Once the last individual had passed on by the protocol droid finally turn its attention to the Kaleesh.

"Greetings to you Master Grievous. I sincerely hope that your duties were not to cumbersome or to boring for you liking" she said in what some might have perceived as a sincere statement.

"Hardly anything happened, so no not to cumbersome at all" Grievous replied in a sarcastic tone, caring little for the machines unrealistic sentiment. The droid however, didn't seem to pick up on this factor.

"As I am sure you have gathered the conference has just ended. You will be pleased to hear that Master Hill and his associates have enjoyed yet another very profitable gathering this and that the Clans reserves have been ..."

_I can believe it_ Grievous thought to himself, though he said nothing. He inclined his head simply,and this time the droid seemed to sense that he was not really interested. She changed the subject. "Uh hum, anyways once the meeting was adjourned Master Hill indicated that the other officials should be sent down this way so that they might enjoy the rest of the facilities, and see for themselves just exactly what it is that this station has to offer".

Grievous nodded with disinterest, he had worked with the I.B.C long enough to know how this would play out. Financiers and bankers were only interested in two things: making credits and keeping their customers satisfied. The Muuns would send private communications down to the gambling rings, insuring that these guests would ascertain the best seats, gambling results and fortitude that money could buy. By the time it came for these sweltering heaps of Bantha dung to actually leave this facility, their pockets would be bulging with credits, their lips would have frequented and tasted the finest foods and toxins both legal and illegal and quite possibly they would have a new acquisition at their side, in the form of a new slave.

The droid spoke up again interrupting this trail of thought. "Master Grievous, sir now that your mission has been completed would you be so kind as to follow me. Only your presence has been requested". Grievous nodded, thinking that this seemed reasonable enough request. It was only when the droid added, "It appears that my creators Master has a matter which he would like to discuss with you", that Grievous looked at her curiously.

His insides tightened and he groaned visibly as the truth finally settled upon him. She was not a member of the Paradise droid staff nor had she been created for the purpose of serving the populace of Muunilinst, her affiliations lay elsewhere. With little choice however, he followed the protocol unit at a begrudging pace. Grievous knew all to well who this 'master of her creator' as she referred to him really was. Viceroy Nute Gunray, Chief financier and chairman of the Trade Federation. Hill had told Grievous beforehand that the Viceroy and his associates would be present at this meeting, but the duo had hoped that the Neimoidian would be to occupied with trade exploits and other matters, to realise that Grievous was present. This was why Grievous had taken up his post before the guests could arrive so as to avoid the Viceroy who, whenever Grievous was present often tended to find time to discuss more personal matters with the Kaleesh enforcer.

In most cases this tended to revolve around Grievous' employment.

* * *

Known for their shrewd business sense Nemoidian's actively sought out any opportunity to expand upon their wealth, generally this culminated in the acquisition of further resources. Those of the Trade Federation were perhaps the most zealous in this endeavor. Though they tended to cooperated most harmoniously when necessary, there was unquestionably a sense of unease and tension between the Intergalactic Banking Clan and the Trade Federation and whenever an opportunity to upstage the other faction ever presented itself to one of the relevant corporations that often took it, without any regards or hesitation.

Grievous and Gunray had meet each other for the first time nearly four galactic standard months ago now. The Neimoidian had been amongst the group of congressmen, that commissioned Grievous to retrieve that overdue loan, and as such bore witness to Grievous' presentation sparking an interest in the Kaleesh warlord. As cunning and as he was obsessive, the Neimoidian was careful not to approach Grievous directly at first, not until he had gained as much information as possible. Only then did Gunray come to Grievous, with a proposition:-

"_Come and work for me"_ _the Neimoidian had said after a brief introduction. "The Trade Federation always has use for a man of your talents. Whatever they are paying you here at the Intergalactic Banking Clan, I will double it!"_

Grievous could not deny that it was a bold move to make on Gunray's part, especially since he made the request right in front of San Hill and the other Clan leaders. The Neimoidian was smooth but practical, evidently he expected that his offer would be accepted. Grievous' honor however, dictated that he follow a job through to the end, especially since it was the Muuns, not the Neimoidians, that supported his peoples financially thus saving them from poverty and extinction. Which was why on principle Grievous had 'begrudgingly and most politely' turned the Viceroy down.

The Neimoidian had taken this initial rejection gracefully and with surprising composure, but if Grievous thought it would bring an end to Gunray's ventures he was sadly mistaken. From that day onwards, whenever the Neimoidian saw fit to visit Muunilinst, Hill did his absolute best to keep the Viceroy and his enforcer firmly apart, but the slippery Neimoidian was not known to give up lightly. Since then he and Grievous had crossed paths no fewer than eight times, but on each occasion the Viceroy was quick to repeat his offer. Originally he did this to the letter, but as time passed Gunray offered even further riches: ranging from starships to battle cruisers, not to mention a vast amount of credits. Yet on each occasion Grievous graciously refused him, hoping against hope that this time message might finally hit home, and that the Viceroy would recognise he was working on a lost cause.

Evidently this was not the case, and Grievous resigned himself to the inevitable!

* * *

They entered what Grievous took to be the congress room a short time later. The cylindrical room was dark, as grey as the Muuns typical tailoring and had an air of foreboding about it. The space was empty save for a number of chattering Neimoidians, plus San Hill and his small Muun entourage. The two groups appeared to be in animated discussion but stopped abruptly as the silver plated protocol entered.

"General Grievous as requested sir!" she said indicating Grievous as he stepped forward eyes locked with those of the spectators. The Kaleesh braced himself, waiting for the inevitable, and sure enough ...

"Grievous!" a certain individual cried out enthusiastically. "Ha, ha, ha Grievous! How are you? So nice to see you again my old friend!" Nute Gunray himself stepped out of the crowd and approached the much taller figure. As he approached Grievous noted that his face amphibious face was grotesquely distorted, his lips pulled back. the scarlet eyes twinkling with the type of reverence that one often tended to associate with a smile.

Gunray swept across the space between them, his arms spread wide open like someone about to hug / greet a long lost friend. Grievous made no attempt to replicate the gesture. He stood rigid, hands bawled into fists, but for the sake of being courteous in front of his employers, he permitted the Neimoidian a brief nod. "I am very well thank you Viceroy. It is nice to see you as well" the Kaleesh said by way of greeting, trying his best not to sound too distasteful.

The Neimoidian came to a halt right in front of him. Thankfully he did not throw his arms around Grievous, but instead rested his palm casually upon Grievous' shoulder and started patting him. Forced to crane his neck upwards, so as to be able to look Grievous straight in the eye, his 'smile' never faltered. "Yes good to see you again, my friend. Good, good, good!" He emphasised each of these words with a casual pat on the shoulder, a fact which did not satisfy Grievous in the slightest. "I trust that things were not to harsh for you down on the lower levels?"

"There were a few instances but nothing that I could not handle" Grievous responded in a monotone, glancing over the Neimoidian and starring straight at San Hill as he said it.

"Excellent!" the Viceroy said a bit to quickly, "Wonderful news, absolutely wonderful!" Again their came that irritating but casual pat on the shoulder. "When my droids informed us that you were the on job, I was in no further doubts in regards to my safety here on Paradise. I will admit that some of my co-workers may have been a bit more skeptical but not me! No, no, no I told them straight up that there was absolutely nothing left for us to worry about. Any assassinations or hijacking attempts will be thwarted I said with Grievous watching over us, and I am quite sure that your benefactors in the I.B.C will be most satisfied with your actions here today?" He shot a contemptuous smirk at San Hill, who frowned irritably at him.

"Grievous performed his task most valiantly" Hill spoke hastily. "With the talents and skills of one benefiting an individual of his calibre. I guarantee that once we are safely back on Muunilinst he can look forward to a very expansive and well deserved pay cheque."

"Ah, planetary shmavity" the Viceroy said, waving his hand dismissively. "Surely you must recognise that planetary trajectory and geographical positions are of little interest when it comes to recognising and rewarding someone's value?" Turning back to Grievous, he added "Please General, allow me to express my deepest gratitude, and to demonstrate my appreciation for your skills and talents first hand". At a hand signal from Gunray, a second member of his species which bore the typical trappings of Neimoidian aid, hobbled over clutching a small silk lined box in its shriveled hands. With a bow of the head, the aid clicked a small latch opening the small casket.

Neatly laid out within was a set of eleven credit chips the likes of which Grievous had never seen before. They looked very thin, and extremely delicate. Green in colour and embroiled with gold leaf, they seemed to emanate a sense of prosperity and wealth. Gunray scooped these up, shewed the second Neimoidian away, then held them out to Grievous.

"Here you are my friend" he said pleasantly, "eleven data cards, for your personal use. You might be interested to know that each of these has a standard value of one million credits a piece. What is more I have also arranged for an extra twenty million credits to be transferred into your personal account, as a further symbol of my gratitude".

Out of the corner of his eye, Grievous distinctly saw San Hill stiffen, the Muun's elongate, slightly puckered features bristling with indisputable anger. Despite himself the Kaleesh was visited by a brief desire to laugh. As financiers and bankers there was no greater way to insult a Muun than a greater outward display of wealth, or else being shown to throw a vast amount of credits at an object / person that the I.B.C considered its own property and personal investment.

Ultimately, Grievous decided against it. "Um, how er how can I put this?" he said tentatively trying to think of how to phrase his next few sentences, so as to not end up displeasing either the Muun financier or the Trade Federations leader. "Thank you very much Viceroy. It is a very generous offer and I appreciate the fact that you respect my services in such a manner. However, there is really no need for you to ..."

"I know there is _no need for me _to go to such lengths General, but in the Trade Federation we like to reward those who do us great service" the Neimoidian said matter of factly. "Please my friend if this makes you uncomfortable, then do not look upon it as a payment for your services but as a personal gift from me". And before Grievous could protest any further Gunray had taken a hold of his palm, and pressed the pile of chips into it. Grievous bristled, he did not like it when people touched him without consent.

Unaware of this the Viceroy simply closed Grievous' now outstretched fingers around the money, and then drew his hand away. "There we are now! It is quite **literally** out of my hands. As i have said, consider it my little gift to you my dear General. You are free to do with it as you will!"

He waited expectantly, that imprudent smile still stretched across his face as if anticipating some indication of immense gratitude. Instead a long silence ensued in which Grievous stared down dangerously at the Viceroy. For some reason the Neimoidian never quailed or attempted to take his investment back. He just stood there with a 'benign' smile on his face, as though waiting expectantly. Finally Grievous stowed the 'earnings' away, uttering a brief "Thank you".

"My pleasure" the Neimoidian responded cheerfully. "Rest assured that there is plenty more where that came from, not to mention much more for those deemed worthy enough to serve among the ranks of the Trade Federation. Especially for those dedicated towards military service."

_Here we go ...,_ Grievous thought forebodingly, his suspicions finally confirmed. The appraisals had nothing to do with gratitude. Gunray had been trying to sweet talk him, and butter him up as it were. Slowly bring him round so that he might be co-operative and willing to listen to his offer. Once again Grievous found himself admiring the Neimoidians boldness and persistence, but that did not make Grievous any more willing to hear the Viceroy out.

San Hill seemed to be thinking along the same lines, for he drew himself up to his fullest height and said quite briskly, "Yes, well I think that will be quite sufficient now Viceroy. Whilst I am sure Grievous will appreciate the fine gifts you bestow upon him, we really must be on our way now. We have a long journey back to Muunilinst and I am quite sure that ..."

"If you would be so kind" the Neimoidian cut across him, "I am not quite finished with our benevolent compadre just yet. Do not forget that it was **_I_ **who set up this meeting here today and not **_you _**San". Needless to say, that was as a genuine shock to Grievous. "You may as it were, own this facility but for the time being at least you are in fact **my guests** upon this day Chairman, and **not** vice versa. Given that you are a financier and a business man yourself, I would have thought you would be quite understanding the benefits of making one more business venture, before allowing yourselves to depart so hastily. Or am I mistaken?"

Hill opened his mouth but then closed it again. He shot a furious look at Gunray bearing his teeth furiously words evidently insufficient to express the full fury of his rage. The other Muuns copied him, glaring furiously at the Viceroy then at Grievous as if the entire matter was his fault. To their left the Neimoidians worked hard to stifle their laughter or to otherwise contain their amusement. Grievous for his part adopted a neutral position, caring little as to which way this battle of wills played out.

Even so this confrontation indicated a need to keep his guard up. Grievous recognised that look upon the Muun's face for he had seen it many times before. The way Hill's eyes turned to scrutinise him, reaffirmed Grievous suspicions. This '_business venture_', whatever it was revolved around him. That meant only one thing: the Viceroy intended to persuade Grievous to renege on his bargain with the Muuns and come work for the Trade Federation. Hill suspected and held to the prospect that Grievous would never renege or go back on his word, so the Muuns reaction was indicative of something more complicated than that. Perhaps this matter had been discussed first hand or perhaps it may have been out of genuine concern. Either way it seemed that if they lingered the Muun was fearful that he would be on the losing end of the matter.

"Anyways ..." Gunray said imperialistically, turning his back to the Muuns and turning his attention back towards what he evidently regarded as the more serious matter. "I was going to say that there has been enough time wasted on small talk this day. There are more important matters, which require **all** of our attention. Grievous ..." the Viceroy said seriously, "... I am both thankful and elated that San Hill brought you along with him to Paradise this day because there is something is something very that I want to talk to you about".

_"Yeah, I'll bet you did" _Grievous mused sarcastically.

"Tell me, are you aware of the political standings and tensions that are currently circulating from within the upper echelons of galactic society this day?" the Neimoidian asked curiously. When Grievous shook his head in ignorance, the Viceroy nodded his understanding. "Quite understandable, quite understandable. However, it does not erase the fact that the outcome of these tensions might prove beneficial in the long run, to figures such as yourself General and that peoples, like myself and the Trade Federation might have need for your services in the near future. The Galactic Senate you see is proposing to place an extensive taxation on what we in the business, like to call the Free Trade Zone. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say that it would have very disastrous consequences, not just to myself but to other leading investors and benefactors such as themselves over there." He gestured towards San Hill as he said this, and Grievous permitted himself a quick glance at the Muun before the Viceroy carried on with his statement.

"The official vote is to take place a few short weeks from now, and if it succeeds, which I have frequent reassurances that it most likely will, then the Trade Federation intends to take a stand against it!"

Grievous raised an eyebrow, at the words _stand against it. _"Am I right in saying that when you say the words stand against it, what you actually mean is to take military action against those seeking to propose such an order?" Grievous inquired. There was perhaps the faintest glimmer of interest present in his voice.

"Precisely, though I think 'action' is a bit of a strong word myself!" the Neimoidian chuckled slightly, but Grievous was not amused. Gunray cleared his throat. "As I am sure you remember, we have in our possession a vast army. An army which in its own way is just as vast and ostentatious as the Muun's ..." Again Hill bristled with anger but the Viceroy had eyes and ears for Grievous alone. "... but there is always room for improvement. Following a - misunderstanding, we had with the Republic a few years ago we have since been looking for ways to expand upon our militaries finesse and to harness it to its full potential. One of the most significant problems we feel, which might equate for our failure all those years ago was a sufficient lack of proper military commanders. Am I right in saying that you are a warrior of high calibre?"

Grievous glowered. _You know full well of what I am, and what I am truly capable of _he thought savagely, wondering how cocky the Neimoidian would be with a taloned fist latched around his throat."Before I became an enforcer for the I.B.C I was and still am a warlord" he clarified in a strained voice, doing his best to restrain himself from ringing the Neimoidians short stubby neck right then and there. "**The warlord of all my peoples, and Khagan of the entire Kaleesh nations!**"

"And what happened?"

Grievous dug his nails into his palms once more, recoiling at the undesired memories. "I was outmaneuvered" he said derisively, hating the Neimoidian for making him say it. "Not by military succession, but by politics and cowardice. Now my people face extinction as a result."

"How unfortunate" Gunray said dispassionately, "that you are the great tragic victim of such circumstances!" Grievous felt his temper rising more with every second. For the Viceroy to dismiss the plight of his people so openly was just so vile.

_But then again what did it matter to him?_ Grievous recognised. Gunray had not been to Kalee. He had not seen the savagery, witnessed the plight of his people or the desperate situation that each of the tribes now found themselves in. His concerns revolved around one individual, and held little concern for the fate of an entire species. The Neimoidian was in this for himself, for the benefit of himself and whatever schemes that his manipulative mind was capable of coming up with.

"You know what they say however ..." the Neimoidian said, oblivious to Grievous inner turmoil "...every star cloud has a silver lining. It just so happens that the Trade Federation could do with somebody like you General; an authoritative figure to command its armies. Somebody with military experience, that knpws how to command forces and is used to operating with battle droids. Knows how they operate, if you know what I am saying. Don't get me wrong, I am confident that our numerically superior forces will have absolutely no trouble in overwhelming the target in mind" the Neimoidian permitted himself a small chuckle here, "but even so it is best not to take risks, and I have certain allies that would find it, uh, preferable if this operation went off without a hitch."

_You fool _Grievous contemplated his eyes narrowing sharply, _numbers never dictate the outcome of a battle. Not unless other factors work to that armies benefit. _"And you want me to be that authoritative figure? Placed in charge of this entire army of yours?" Grievous surmised.

"Precisely!" the Neimoidian verified with a quick bob of the head. "As head of the Trade Federations grand armada, you will find ..."

"Thanks but no thanks" Grievous said decisively. "Whilst your operation does have its credit and I admire your willingness to stand up for what you believe in, I am not convinced that I am the best man to undertake such matters" Grievous lied, trying to cover up the fact that he simply had no interest in becoming Gunray's exploit. "Surely there are other people out there much more capable and worthier than I am."

"Don't be so quick to judge yourself to harshly" the Viceroy interjected, "People like you are few and far between. From everything that I have heard your reputation as a warlord is outstanding. Hill has told me all about your peoples struggles with the Huk colonists". He said it quite casually, which caused Grievous to throw a scathing look in the direction of his investors. He was pleased to note that all of the officials and not just San Hill flinched.

"You have an impressive track record it seems" Gunray went on, "especially on your home world of Kalee, and it would be worthwhile to recruit someone of your calibre in this endeavor. A new power is rising general, one that might just benefit the entire galaxy, including you and your people!" That caught Grievous' interest. He turned look at the Neimoidian and noticed that Gunray was being entirely serious, evidently he believed in his cause.

"The Trade Federation intends to be at the forefront of this maneuver general, a simple stand is all that remains, and if we had someone like you ... well then, success is more or less guaranteed. All you would have to do is pledge yourself over to our corporation, and its outside leaders. Then should you require any further resources all you have to do is name it. I can supply you with ships, heavy artillery and even cannon fodder. Just tell me what you want, anything you need and it is yours!"

The atmosphere was suddenly very tense. The spectators held an agitated breath. In one corner the Muuns looked fearful and agitated, whilst in the other the Neimoidians waited expectantly with looks of great anticipation. Grievous for his part stared at the Viceroy considerately, for a long time, turning over everything in his mind.

He could not deny that this was a very tempting opportunity. This was a chance for Grievous to get back to what he did best. He could re-enter the battlefield once more, and still benefit from. It certainly sounded more worthwhile than anything San Hill had been offering him so far. What's more if the Viceroy's resources were as vast and limitless as he so claimed then it might just be worthwhile. As for pledging himself over to a few outside overseers, well it would be no different to what he did now. It was necessary, one he was willing to put up with, in order to safe guard his people.

Despite all this Grievous refused to bow down in supplication just yet. He was quite certain that the Neimoidian was being evasive, sugar coating his words to make things seem easier than they actually were. Grievous was sure he was powerful, but then again money and military fire power only went so far, before prompting an intuitive response.

Even so one thing nagged at him more than any other fact so far. "This army of yours?" he said curiously. "It is composed almost entirely of battle droids, am I right?"

"Not _almost _but _entirely_. It is by far the largest and most expensive example of its kind anywhere in the galaxy" the Viceroy corrected him. "It is true that we have had to make a few cutbacks here and there owing to Republic sanctions, but this has done nothing to cripple our prowess or establish our military might."

Grievous was not paying any attention to these minor details, because with that statement the matter was resolved. "Then I am afraid Viceroy, that we have a problem" he said matter of factly. "Whilst I understand and appreciate their value to you, I am afraid that I must express my own personal dissatisfaction. To me the battle droids of which you speak are worthless, unimaginative and cumbersome. They carry out the task which they are programmed to do and nothing more. They are in my experience simply, how can I put it ... ineffective even with proper direction, hence my preference for organic beings that are not restricted by such limitations. Therefore unless you can provide me with an army that is truly worthy of such standards, then I am afraid I must see fit to decline your offer."

There was a brief pause, in which Kaleesh and Neimoidian stared intently at each other. Neither betrayed any emotion, a matter which surprised Grievous greatly. He had expected the amphibian to burst into protest, to berate the General and explain that he was a fool for throwing away such a valuable opportunity like this. This was a chance to make some real money, earn himself a place in history, and to demonstrate his true prowess!

This was what Grievous had expected him to say but instead the Neimoidian was content just to stare contemplatively at Grievous for a little while longer before he actually spoke.

"I see ..." the Neimoidian said a voice that bordered on considerate, and in that instant Grievous realised that he had been duped. Whether anything that the Neimoidian had said was actually true was of little consequence now, for this had not been Gunray's true motivation or intention. All this time the Neimoidian had simply been using this as an excuse so as to get Grievous to let his guard down, and to reveal what it was that truly motivated the Kaleesh warrior within.

And now, Gunray had his answer!

"Ah yes" Gunray said slyly. "Yes, I do seem recall your tirade about a better quality of troops. That was a nice presentation by the way, I really enjoyed your input and the designs you came up with ... quite impressive if I do say so myself". Once again, Grievous shot an irritated look at San Hill and the other Muun spectators. Those designs had been for their eyes only, but in his fury at being rejected yet again Grievous had forgotten to take his plans and prototype designs with him. It had been several hours before they had been returned to him, plenty of time it seemed for the scheming Neimoidian to look over them, and start planning.

Gunray did not give Grievous a chance to berate or act upon his anger. "I am afraid" he said a little bit louder than necessary " that we will have to differentiate on the practicality of hired soldiers, General, it is a matter of little indifference to me. But when it comes to droids my friend ... Ah now there, **I can help you!**"

Grievous looked at the Neimoidian quizzically. What did he mean by that statement? "I was rather hoping that you might make reference to it, those drafty little schemes ..." Gunray said casually, draping a hand across Grievous' shoulder, and taking up position alongside him. Grievous tensed, but if Gunray sensed any change in the Kaleesh's posture or composure he paid no attention to it.

"... which is why I have set up a little proposition and gambit for you. One that I think you will be most interested in. Allow me to show you".

It wasn't a request and before Grievous knew it Gunray was steering him gently but briskly out of the room. The Neimoidians followed suit, keeping a respectable distance, with San Hill and the rest of the Muuns quickly bringing up the rear. Gunray led Grievous into a corridor, overlooking the main casino, then turned them down one of the curved passage ways. Aside from the occasional bog standard protocol, astromech and security droids, the procession was to all extents and purposes completely alone.

Over his shoulder Grievous noted that San Hill marched at a brisk pace looking agitated and angrier than Grievous had ever seen him. Evidently the Muuns worst fears had just been realised. Their eyes met for a brief instant, and Grievous saw a hint of resentment behind the stare. Evidently Gunray had confided a small measure of his plans to the Intergalactic Banking Clan Chairman, which was why the Muun had done his absolute best to get Grievous out of the Viceroys clutches. _Tried and failed, _Grievous thought. Judging from the tone of his expression however, what was happening now was something that Gunray had not disclosed. Now, thanks to Grievous, the two groups were about to find out for themselves just exactly what it was that this upstart Neimoidian was planning.

Grievous turned away, he cared little about the Muun's personal feelings. If things went sour with them, the worst Grievous could expect from them was a reduction in his own personal pay cheque, which of course was of little consequence to him. As for Gunray, he had offered something that might just make Grievous willing enough to put up with and listen to him for a short time if necessary. He had made reference to Grievous plans for a new battle droid elite.

This was a temptation worth pursuing!

* * *

They reached the end of the corridor and were ascending a set of ornate spiraled stairs. Not a word had been said since they had left the congress chamber and the silence was broken only by the sound of their feet slapping against the marble surface. Gunray's hand was still draped across Grievous' shoulder, but the Kaleesh did his best to turn his attention elsewhere. He took instead to examining the pieces of fine art that decorated the walls, ranging from paintings, to expensive tapestries and marble / bronze busts statues lining, or hanging or else inbuilt to the walls of the grand staircase itself.

A golden light at the end of the tunnel signified, what Grievous hoped to be the end of their journey. As they ascended the final steps Grievous whose vision had become so accustomed to the darkness was forced to shield and cover his eyes, so as to temporarily block out the intense glare. Blinking several times it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the brightness, and yet still Gunray steered him forward. Except now Grievous allowed himself to be led this way; for what he was now seeing was enough to temporarily take his breath away.

He was standing in what looked to be a personalised gambling quarter. Though much smaller than the casino floors outside; this one was by far much more lavish. Highly decorated, and embroiled in what could only be the Muuns favorite colours of rich lustrous gold, bone tinted white and red flashing scarlet's. Tables of every size, stature and material composition stood at every angle alongside sumptuous cushions and ornate high backed chairs upon which players and spectators could sit, eat, drink and gamble quite comfortably upon. A tilted window to one side would give anybody who looked out of it a complete view of the main casino level below, whilst the clear glass roof permitted a magnificent view of the ceaseless endless twilight outside. The walls were decorated with what could only surmise to be the most expensive and highly prized antique paintings and other vestiges of art that credits could afford.

Grievous knew that he was now standing in a room that very few beings would ever have the luxury of entering in galactic history. If he had to guess this was the Muuns _personal_ gaming quarter, an area of Paradise that they normally reserved either for themselves, the casino's most prestigious visitors or their own prospective clients. It seemed however, that for the right price even this facility could be rented out and now he, the Khagan, a lowly enforcer was being given the opportunity in which to examine this spectacle in all its wonder, first hand.

As he tore his gaze away from the trapping however, Grievous finally became aware that the procession was not alone, and that the room was not as empty as he had fist though. Stood along the walls was a squadron of eight moderately armed B1 battle droids, which he was assumed to be an acting security force. Catching his gaze Gunray gave a brief smile, indicating that the battle droids were his.

Grievous quickly looked away. Gunray appeared to leading him towards the epicenter of this fabulous marvel. to where a group of eight individuals, stood clustered together besides what looked like a greatly over-sized black stone alter or table. The group included three Neimoidian aides, who were chattering nervously amongst themselves, and to the rest of the assemblage. Having no doubt been sent ahead, they were now making sure that everything was set in place for their masters grand scheme.

They appeared to be talking to a set of highly polished and well ornate droids. Two were silver plated protocol, the third a bronze tinted card shark. Whatever it was that the Neimoidians were saying to them it appeared to be highly important because they seemed to be hanging upon the Neimoidians every word.

The final pairing stood a little bit apart on the droids left (Grievous' right) listening in on what it was that the Neimoidians were saying but not really paying much attention to it. Unlike the rest of procession they were both females; a blue skinned Chiss with thick black hair that she wore straight, and a green skinned Twi'lek. The pair had luscious, lustrous figures and wore attire that left nothing to the imagination, even going so far as to walk bare foot across the lavish carpet. The Chiss supported a black box bikini, which highlighted the curves of her body and showed off her abs. The Twi'lek by contrast wore a single piece halter style strapless white swimsuit, which emphasised her bust and figure. Even from this distance a sweet gamely sent emanated from their direction, a deliberate side effect of the various perfumes that each of them wore.

It did not take a genius to recognise that they were pleasure slaves.

At the site of the approaching throng the smaller gathering fell respectfully silent. The Neimoidians bowed their heads in a gesture of respect at the approaching throng, whilst the three droids simply looked on curiously, as if waiting to see what was about to happen and the instructions that were about to come depending upon the said actions. Smiling, the two women took up exaggerated postures and positions, which was sure to garner everybody's attention and make sure that they were noticed. Grievous chose to focus his attention upon them, wondering how much they were being paid to do so. Judging from they way the Neimoidians had been ignoring them, it seemed that unlike the rest of the procession the women's personal feelings held as little regard or value here, as any of the droids, especially when it came to dealing figures like Gunray or San Hill.

At a silent gesture from Nute Gunray, an official that Grievous later learned to be called Rune Haako, brought the of the collaboration of Muuns and Neimodians to a silent halt. San Hill, pushed his way past his thickset counterparts to the front, so as to garner a better view of the proceedings.

* * *

Gunray led Grievous on a little further until they stood a ten feet away from the second grouping. At a swift nod, the other Neimoidians made themselves scarce, and went off to join Run Haako and the rest of the proceedings, twenty feet away, leaving Grievous alone, with Gunray and the remaining figures. "Welcome, General to Paradise's inner most sanctum" Gunray said waving a hand extravagantly across their entire surroundings. "I am not sure whether you were aware of its existence up until now, but here, this is a facility usually reserved for Paradise's most prestigious benefactors and is not usually opened to the traditional rabble found here upon Paradise. Then again you are no ordinary person, nor a member of the common rabble now are you my chief Khagan?!"

_ Flattery_, _the weapons of a coward!_

The Viceroy was determined to upstage the Muuns by any means necessary and as such had resorted to the only means capable for one such as him to to satisfy his need and cravings.

**His tongue and his wealth!**

Keeping these observations to himself, Grievous watched and listened as the Viceroy proceeded with his dialogue. "As you can see I have personally made sure that everything has been especially prepared just for you. I have rented this space out for your personal use. The droids over there..." he indicated the silver plated protocols, "will cater to your every need, in terms of food and beverage".

"As for the girls ..." the Neimoidian said now gesturing at the slaves. "They also, are yours. I think you will find" he added slyly, "that they are quite capable of satisfying any ... other cravings that you might have."

At their mentioning, the two females stepped forwards, a purposeful swagger to their stride as they approached him. Grievous frowned at them at furiously but they simply smiled, soft loving grins stretched across their pretty faces as they approached him. They stopped about a foot away, ignoring Gunray and focusing all their attention upon Grievous. The Chiss placed a finger to her chin as she studied him curiously, her other hand resting casually against her broad partially bare hips. The Twi'lek provided a sly wink as she looked him up and down, both hands resting smoothly against her curved waistline.

Gunray relinquished his hold upon Grievous shoulder and withdrew from what might be considered to be the Kaleesh's personal space, only to have his position taken up by the two females instead. One on either side of him, they started tracing their hands over every fiber of Grievous' body whilst at the same time pressing their own barely concealed forms up against his own. For a moment Grievous was rigid, broad and furious. Then much to his own surprise, the Kaleesh found himself beginning to relax, no longer disapproving of such actions.

The tension in his posture began to subside, as his muscles began to relax somewhat until Grievous suddenly found himself feeling rather content, for the first time in a long while. It had been a long day, he realised and he was tired from spending hours just standing in that same position for so long. Now the two females were helping to ease some of that tension. Their skin was soft to the touch, the aroma of their perfumes was intoxicating and despite his discontent for their profession Grievous could not help admitting that his instincts had been right. It did feel good to feel the touch of a woman once again.

Keeping his head straight upon his shoulder he turned his gaze upon the Chiss, that now stood on his left. Her right arm was now casually wrapped around his shoulders in an almost loving embrace, whilst her other hand tenderly explored his face and chest line. Her form was pressed against his own, a noticeable waggle to her hips as she brushed herself against his joint. Grievous was almost certain that she would have kissed him, if his bone mask had not been in the way.

From the few dealings he had ever had with the Chiss peoples, Grievous' perception was that they were a very well organised and generally respected band of sentients. Calculating individuals their species did not typically bow down to alien subjugation, and who preferred to operate to their own agendas and standards, the Chiss were generally unafraid to resort to violence when and if the situation called for it, making them in many ways fairly similar to his own Kaleesh peoples. What then could have happened in order to make this particular female end up seeking a living and way of life here on Paradise?

Grievous' gaze turned to the Twi'ek. She likewise was tenderly pressed up against his, tracing her hands rather soothingly across his back and abdominal area, loosening the knots and tensions which had unknowingly gathered there. Unlike the Chiss who were typically uncommon species, that were hardly ever encountered Twi'lek's were by far much more numerous band of near human sentients, one that had developed a 'reputation' for its obsessive co-operation as far as the 'entertainment' facilities went, which might explain why this particular female came to be at such an establishment. On the other hand, despite the Republics claims to otherwise it was not uncommon for Twi'lek's to be brought and sold into slavery at an early age, and Grievous could not help wondering if that was what had happened to her. Had this woman been sold at a slave market? Taken away from her family, perhaps at an early age to be raised amongst the other low life's here so that one day she could be brought into service; to provide material satisfaction for the benefit of others.

If that was the case then, Grievous felt 'pity' for her as well. _Pity! Yes ..._ he realised.

There was no other word for it, he felt pity for them, both of them. Though the concept and notion behind everything that defined a pleasure slave disgusted him and he still held complete disregard for their occupation, Grievous now felt that he now better understood these two individuals swooning over him. Perhaps being stuck within the employ of the Muuns, and having witnessed the plights of slavery himself from his encounter with the Huk's made it easier for the Kaleesh warlord to sympathise with them. These two females were not twisted individuals doing this for entertainment, nor were they evil figures like some of the other figures Grievous had come to know. They were simply pawns, instruments as it were. Ordinary citizens, like himself, people with feelings trying their best to find their way in a galaxy that had otherwise forsaken them.

Grievous reached out, and placed a hand casually upon each of the women's shoulders. "That's enough. Thank you ladies, thank you very much but that will do for now" he said in a voice that almost resembled calming reassurance. The two females froze abruptly apparently taken aback. Evidently, they were not expecting to be halted like this, which was unsurprising given their beauty. Grievous recognised their expressions, for it was a look that he was all to familiar with them himself.

The Muuns valued money more than anything else, and if something could not deliver they simply threw it out. It seemed that to a pleasure slave, as well as an enforcer, the ability to perform made the difference between having a job or else facing certain death out on the streets. So he added, "Don't worry! You have both proven yourselves to be more than satisfying. I just do not think it would be appropriate for us to continue such actions out here in such open spaces. For the time it seems, we must move on to other matters".

He wrapped and arm around the Chiss' waist and drew her in closer, then offered his hand out to the Twi'lek and did the same with her. In return both females placed a hand on Grievous' waist. Their fears were abated, understanding that they were done for the time being, and were now simply taking a short unexpected interlude. This small measure of courtesy had nothing to do with affection on Grievous' part. He did it simply because he did not wish to see more innocent victims fall prey to the foul machinations of the galaxy. For as long as possible he would safeguard them from the dangers of their profession and any harm that other individuals might have otherwise inflict upon them.

"What is the matter?" a slippery voice asked suddenly, with the rudimentary sense of concern. "Is this not to your satisfaction?"

"Quite the opposite" Grievous responded. "Everything here is as you put it: 'most satisfying', thank you Viceroy. I would however appreciate you telling me what this is all **_really_ **about?"

The Neimoidian seemed taken aback by Grievous' bluntness. "I don-don't know what you are - ".

"Don't treat me like I am a fool Viceroy! I am not as naive as you seem to think" the Kaleesh said seriously a threatening edge now present in his voice. "You said yourself, once we arrived here that you had set this all up, and have manipulated events from the very beginning so's that I would come here. First you seek to garner my interest with flattery and appraisals. Then you bring me to this most highly prestigious establishment and seek to seduce me with two of the most beautiful females that I have ever had the courtesy of laying eyes upon". Both the Twi'lek and the Chiss' cheeks flushed bright red at this compliment, evidently they were not used to being praised with such complements.

Grievous glared directly at Gunray, then persisted. "I thought that had made my sentiments quite clear, in regards to working for you and the Trade Federation perfectly clear. Except now I believe that this is something more than just another simple business venture and employment opportunity. So tell me Viceroy ..."

**"... what is it that you are after? And more importantly how and why does this concern me?!"**

* * *

**_You will just have to wait and see._**

**_End of Chapter 1._**

* * *

**_Well there we have it. I have finally a reviewed and re-written elements of this story. I tried to keep it as true to the original post as possible but have had to make a few necessary modifications._**

**_ Thanks to everyone who commented so far, I was really wondering whether I should actually continue with this story line._**

**_The second and final chapter of this story line is currently being written and will be up and posted in due course._**

**_As before please let me know what you think of the story so far!_**


	2. Chapter 1 and half

**Gunray's Disposition: Chapter 1.5**

Hi everyone.

Sorry about the major delay. Like I said I have had a lot on my plate these past few months (I still do as a matter of fact), which put a stall on updating any of my FanFiction's.

But hey ho, like they say: better late than never!

So without further adieu, here is the second bonus installment of this short story.

**Rating**: This chapter is rated T for teen. **Warning**, this chapter contains violence, gambling along with implications of nudity and sexual encounters (not full out, which is why this story is not rated M).

Nevertheless, **YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**)

**Authors note: **Thanks to everyone for reviewing, I was actually beginning to wonder whether it was even worth continuing with this story.

In particular I wish to thank _Funnybunny16_ for their comment in particular. It is a good suggestion and I like it very much. For the purposes of this story however, Grievous shall remain a Kaleesh. My next Star Wars FanFiction however, I shall write up my interpretation of General Grievous' transformation into a cyborg.

So lots to look forward to there!

For the time being however it is time that this fiction was brought to its long overdue conclusion. This segment shall focus on the pleasure slaves, one in particular and explain how they came to find themselves involved in all of this.

After that we shall explore just what made Grievous and Gunray hate each other so much!

**Disclaimer**: As always I do not own Star Wars or any of its official material!

"_Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake, ensign? Anyone can make an error, ensign. But that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it!"_

**Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the most notable Chiss in Star Wars EU History.**

**Star Wars: Heir to the Empire**

* * *

**Gunray's Disposition: Chapter 1.5**

* * *

_The persistent chimming of the alarm clock roused Rika Betistial from her sleep. With an irritated groan the Chiss female reached out and switched off the device. Brushing aside several of the loose strands from the front of her face, she sat up before ceremoniously stretching and yawning. She did not bother to conceal her modesty. Bring a hand up to rub the sleep from her scarlet eyes Rika surveyed her surroundings. A quick glance around the small living quarter told her that her roommate wasn't around, meaning she had either gone to the cafeteria or as was not uncommon had started her shift early._

_Pulling the duvet off of herself, Rika swung her legs over the side of the small bunk and rose to her feet. With an exasperated sigh she stretched again, exposing the entirety of her form and causing several of her joints to emit a small 'crack' as they popped back into position. She really would have liked to go back to bed, but after finishing a particularly harsh and extensive shift almost seven hours earlier she had retired without the considerations of food and beverage, a fact which now left her famished._

_Carelessly she extracted a towel from the top of a nearby cabinet, and threw it over one shoulder as she made her way into the bathroom. Her accommodation whilst comparatively small was nonetheless modest and reasonable, and included an en-suite facility. Following a quick shower and straightening out her hair, Rika dressed herself in a short sleeved, one piece tight suit (not to dissimilar from a nautical wet suit). It was tight fit and clashed horribly with her black hair whilst emphasizing her light blue complexion, but she had little choice in the matter. The uniform was standard issue, at least for to those of her particular rank. Forsaking the set of plimsolls that accompanied the disheveled article of clothing she vacated the room and set off barefoot for the cafeteria._

_As with all of the staffs facilities and accommodation, the cafeteria was stationed far behind the scenes of the particular casino in which Rika and so many others had the misfortune of working. Despite this the sounds of raucous cheering, overly loud music and game play was still audible even from this distance. If she had to guess, Rika estimated that this particular casino had been open for an estimated twenty hours now. As an entertainment facility Paradise space station itself very rarely closed down, though the individual facilities often tended to shut for the galactic standard minimum of a few hours at most. Generally this was for cleaning and maintenance purposes only, after which it was back to business as usual. The majority of the work was carried out by legions of droid engineers and cleaners, but the overseers sometimes drafted in slaves like Rika, if only to get finished that bit quicker and then return to making as many credits as possible._

_Although established along the Corellian Trade Spine, Paradise operated on a twenty eight hour clock system, the same as the planet from which the original Muun investors and designers had commissioned its construction. The droid staff without fail always worked round the clock, whilst organic workers including pleasure slaves like Rika worked a ten to twelve hour shift (depending upon the volume and concentration of customers). The rest of their time was then spent behind the scenes eating, drinking, sleeping, socializing and provided they had the stomach and credits for it gambling._

_In truth the overseers didn't really care about what their workers got up to in their spare time, so long as it didn't contradict with the order of business. Strict curfews were in place and the leaders were always careful to make sure that none of their 'assets' went missing or astray. Violence was not tolerated, and whilst the slaves were free to do whatever they wanted behind the scenes the overseers did their best to ensure that things stayed that way. The floor staff were given the bare minimum of clothing, hence the uniform Rika was wearing, and were also forbidden to leave their work place without a validated reason or escort. No matter how slim the chances these precautions reduced the risk of a slave entering a nearby game house and posing as a customer, then winning it big and making his or her escape from Paradise Station. Anyone that was caught attempting such measures was severely punished and was often rarely ever seen again._

_On top of this despite their extensive break and so called free time, the pleasure slaves in particular always had to remain vigilant. Whilst the majority of their work was carried out through shifts in the gaming station, the overseers had in their possession a rota containing all the relevant information and details concerning every single one of them across Paradise's circumference. If a customer had the right amount of credits or prestige they could be presented with that information and select any number of slaves for their own personal entertainment. Whenever this happened, the slaves would be summoned, stopping whatever it was that they were doing and return to work._

_All in all life was both harsh and demanding here on Paradise. As a Chiss, Rika was sturdier than most but at the same time was loath to be subservient to other peoples desires, a fact which had been drilled into her from an early age, as it had been with all Chiss peoples. That determination gave her the hope and confidence that one day she might be able to escape from this predicament, enabling her to forge a better life and existence for herself. One in which she operated and lived by her own decisions and customs ..._

_... and yet ..._

_... What chance did she ever have of fulfilling these ambitions? She was a slave, the property of her superiors. Her personal aspirations and desires did not matter any longer, so long as she could fulfill the ambitions and desires of others. In this forsaken part of the galaxy where no one was going to rescue her that simple task made the difference between life and death on her part. So she trudged along the sparsely populated corridors her head bowed, gazing upon her bare feet._

_Suppressing her emotions Rika stepped through a set of automatic doors and entered the cafeteria with her head held high. As was often the case the dining room was mobbed. The room was expansive and could easily have held up to around six hundred people; at present less than half of the seats were vacant, a testament as to just how extensive the staff for this one facility actually was. Skimming along the outskirts, Rika made her way over to the food court, nodding and waving to the few people that acknowledged her, whilst ignoring those that blanked her._

_Picking up a tray and plate, she ladled the later with food. There was an expansive choice but she stuck mainly to vegetables and a few slabs of meat, along with some fruit and a large glass of Muja juice. At least the Muun's were gracious and courteous enough to make sure that their slaves were well fed and catered for._

_Using her wages card to pay for her late dinner Rika left the counter and started navigating her way through the central aisle trying to find an appropriate place to sit and enjoy her meal. Someone called her name, and she spotted a group of females including her dorm mate Ariana. Without hesitating she made her way over to the table and sat down between a Rutian Twi'lek and a Zeltron, so that she sat right across from her closest friend._

_"It's about time you showed up" Ariana said with a small smile. "We were starting to think that you might never wake"._

_Rika couldn't suppress a grin of her own. "Oh don't go worrying about that" she said reassuringly, taking her flask in one hand. "You can't get rid of me that easily". After taking a graceful sip of the Muja juice she added, "Besides if I wasn't here then who is going to take care of all of those fine looking men out there?"_

_The group laughed at her comment._

_"Come on now sweetheart be fair now, there's plenty to go around" said a human girl on the left of Rika._

_"And trust me, there will be plenty more where they came from!" Ariana pointed out. "Surely you can't expect to entertain them all now can you?" a small smile tugging at her blue tainted lips._

_Rika chuckled in amusement. With a slight shrug, she picked up her cutlery and said with a small sigh "I'm not sure really. So many dreamy men out there, so little time. I can certainly try, but that will depend upon their availability and space now won't it? Not to mention how deep their pockets are!"_

_The group all laughed uproariously, and Rika started tucking into her well earned meal. Whilst she had been teasing for the most part, she couldn't help thinking that a gentleman coupled with a nice pile of credits was preferable to the life style led here. Not really paying attention to what the others were saying she sat and ate her food for the next half an hour, dropping the occasional supportive comment or statement, laughing alongside the others or else bobbing her head in agreement. For the most part however she concentrated on her food._

_Though she could not have asked for better company or friends on any other world and was far from isolated here, Rika still could not help feeling somewhat alienated. She was the only Chiss to work this part of the entertainment facility. In fact as far as she knew, Rika was the only Chiss on Paradise. This was not surprising; her people were comparatively rare to other near-human species across the galaxy._

_Ariana and her company had done their best to help Rika in whatever way they could when she had first arrived here, such as fitting in with other groups, showing her how to handle staff and irritating customers whilst also making several important friends along the way. Despite all of this and all of their efforts however, Rika couldn't help contemplating that in truth the group was only partially successful in their attempt. As she had learnt the hard way there was no denying that at her very core Rika was different from most of the slaves here, and not just from a biological perspective._

_The major differentiation here was their background._

_Most of Paradises pleasure slaves had operated under some type of bond throughout the course of their lives. Here in the outer / mid rim worlds where their rights were not recognised they were treated as property, akin more to the likes of droids and lesser life forms than actual sentients, permitting them to be purchased as such. Most traded hands several times before ending up here at the Paradise Casino's. A small percentage however, including Rika's roommate Ariana were actually volunteer pleasure slaves that had willingly forsaken their right as free citizens in order to join the ranks of the entertainers, and satisfy the basic desires and instincts of their species._

_Rika fitted into neither of these categories. She was neither a volunteer here, nor had she been born or raised in slavery. Hers was one of the few tragic cases, which actually reflected on just how decadent life had become out here in the Outer Rim._

_Many years ago Rika had lived in prosperity as part of a normal, healthy family lifestyle upon the Chiss home world, many light years away in the unknown territories. Then, when she was eight years old the world had been turned upside down. For reasons unknown to her, even to this day, Rika's father was exiled from Chiss space and ordered never to return under penalty of death. Deeply in love with her husband, Rika's mother had refused to desert him in his hour of need, and so it was that the small family group had departed from their home world leaving everything and everyone they had ever known behind._

_At first things had been ok. The family eventually settled on a mid-rim world, where Rika's mother was able to get a well paid job within the planetary security system, enabling them to eek out a modest living. That all changed when her father discovered two things that were outlawed in Chiss society: alcohol and gambling._

_From that point on it all went downhill. Despite the protests of his wife and even his soon to be teenage daughter, Rika's father simply refused to listen to sense. Most of his nights were spent down at the local casino, with a lum bottle in one hand and a set of cards in the other bought with his wife's hard earned credits. Though he insisted otherwise he was not a talented gambler and most of the time he either lost, or was lucky to make it just about even for the night. There were several occasions however, in which he did just happen to make it big, but these were infrequent and owed more to luck than actual talent._

_Soon enough, the family fell in to debt putting them on the brink. In order to make up for their loses, especially since her husband refused point blank to take up any form of employment, Rika's mother was forced to take on extra long hours and sometimes even more dangerous missions. She did this not for the sake of her husband, whom she now hated and intended to divorce as soon as the opportunity presented itself, but for her teenage daughter. Like her mother Rika, who had been twelve years old at the time, just one year away from reaching adulthood in Chiss society, was working honest hard labor to prevent the family from going under. It was tough on both of them, and yet somehow they managed to keep the vast amount of it hidden from the sickly, drunken hands of the Chiss male._

_What kept them going was the knowledge that they would soon be free of him, and could then forge a better life for themselves away from gambling and drink._

_There came a morning however, when her mother failed to return from a late night shift. Rika was worried, and even her father showed concern as to the fate of his wife, though Rika did not know whether this was out of genuine affection or more to do with the fact that his primary source of income was in jeopardy. Whatever the reason, the unnaturally sober man made a point of accompanying his daughter down the security bureau, to find what happened._

_Civil unrest was something that the Chiss family was unaccustomed too, yet recently the whole city had felt its effects. From the odd few comments that her mother had told her there was political unrest in the senate. Apparently a group of Trade union representatives were taking an active stand against what they viewed as unjust regulations. The civil population was divided; on the one hand there were those still loyal to the Republic. On the other hand there were those who believed that the Senate had become corrupt and that the Federations forces, had the right idea._

_Along with several other hundred relatives of loved ones missing as a result of the uprising, the chiss husband and child were hard pressed to find any information concerning the elder females fate. When news did finally reach them it revealed that Rika's mother, having done right by her duty, had partaken in an armed riot in order to restore order, paying for her devotion with the ultimate price. The grief stricken family like so many others that had lost loved ones was compensated financially for their loss, but in their case it did little to help Rika's grief nor help them economically in the long run._

_Without her mothers financial support Rika and her father were unable to keep up with the mounting debts that the later owed and the duo quickly fell into ruin. Bit by bit her father was forced to sell off more and more family furnishings and heirlooms in order to pay back the credits he owed, or for a viable currency that could be used at the gambling stations in which he played. On several occasions he even had the audacity to withdraw several hundred of his daughters hard earned credits from her private account without her permission, and by the time Rika usually found out about her fathers misgivings it was to late for her to do anything about it._

_As such within a year of her mothers anniversary and Rika's ascendancy into Chiss adulthood, the pair were living in what could only be described as absolute squalor. Thanks to her various full time shift work in several low end pubs and bars, Rika's earnings were enough to afford them accommodation in the cheapest, most run down motel that their system had to offer. It was in this freezing hell hole that the duo made their living for several months, along with the few meaningful heirlooms and treasures from their earlier, better times. Yet still her father kept on gambling, insisting that his daughter work more hours and their debts kept mounting up._

_Then one day, Rika's life was changed forever ..._

_She had woken on that particular morning to find her father in what appeared to be a pitiful state. His eyes were swollen and a fine trickle of sweat descended from his brow line, he was also panting considerably. Muttering persistently to himself the Chiss male hastily scurried about the confines of their single room, picking up anything and anything of value: ranging from copious amounts of credits and small trinkets before throwing them hastily into a small wooden box. He was so focused that at first he did not seem to comprehend that his daughter was awake, standing in her nightdress and watching him with an appalled expression on her face._

_It was only when his shaking fingers latched around one of the last remaining possessions that her mother had given her that Rika reacted. No sooner had the object been lifted from its container than it was promptly wrenched out of the Chiss males grasp and drawn safely beyond his reach. Her father fell face first into the dust cover floor at this unexpected intervention. With a startled grunt he vomiting, and lay motionless for a matter of seconds, a clear indication to his intoxication, before turning his gaze upwards to look upon his daughter._

_Rika in turn looked down upon him, with absolute disgust._

_"Give - give that back here" her father spluttered, his head lolling slightly as he reached out expectantly for his late wife's jewelry. Turning his gaze back downwards he clutched his brow with a thumb and forefinger, an evident sign of a hang over._

_"Drop dead!" Rika shouted back, withdrawing even further and clutching the heart shaped locket of Mandalorian iron even more tightly to her._

_"I said give that back here!" her father demanded, before lunging at her, tipping over his box and seizing her wrist in a vice like grip. A short arm wrestle ensued in which they both grappled for the object, which only ended when Rika (sacrificing strength for maneuverability) somehow managed to break one hand free and dealt her father a swift hard blow to the face with her open palm. The Chiss male gasped in surprise, before toppling over onto his back, momentarily dazed._

_He sat up again, staring at his daughter in absolute surprise as he brought a hand up tentatively to inspect the damage. A dark patch was already forming on one side of his eye and to Rika's savage delight she saw him cringe as he touched the now sensitive area. He turned back her to looking shocked. "You hit me!" he gasped quietly, before his face twisted in rage._

_"YOU HIT ME!" he repeated even more shrilly._

_"Yes! Yes I did, and it's about friggin time too" Rika said. Her voice was vindictive, rage coursing through her as she backed further away from him so that her back was now pressed up against one of the mouldy paper thin walls._

_Her father was scrambling to his feet by now, his balance was wavy and slightly off. His face was contorted with rage as he advanced upon his only child, who though evidently frightened now stood her ground. "You stu- stupid mudcrutch" her father stammered, as he bore down upon her. "Don't you realise that this our only option. This is our last opportunity to settle the last of our debts, before things get any more unpleasant for us. If we make one final payment then our debts will be settled and we can get back on our lives"._

_He reached for the locket again but Rika pushed him back angrily. "What lives?" she demanded, now tucking the locket out of reach beneath her cleavage so that the cool metal stung against her skin. "Thanks to you and your stupid gambling there is no more life! Every decision that you have made since we came to this forsaken world has been one disaster after another!"_

_His face creased over in mottled fury. In one big stride he covered the distance between them and before Rika knew what was happening her father had his hand around her throat."Don't you ever talk to back to me like that you little brat. Everything I ever did, was for you and your stupid mother whose only source of gratitude was to leave us in financial ruin"_

_"DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!" Rika shouted, with all her might glaring furiously at her father with a level of hatred she had not thought possible. "She obviously loved you at some point, as she opted to come with you. Yet now I am beginning to wonder just what it is she ever saw in you, and that we would have been better off without you. All you ever did when she was alive was waste her hard earned money down at the credit casino's. You are the one that is nothing, except an ungrateful liar and a thief that doesn't even honor her memory"._

_"HOW DARE YOU!" he shouted back, making Rika wince as he slammed her hard against the wall. "I THINK ABOUT HER EVERY DAY AND HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THAT I CAN TO HONOR HER MEMORY!"_

_"YEAH WITH ALL OF MY CREDITS AND HARD EARNED LETTINGS!"_

_"SACRIFICES HAVE TO BE MADE, IN ORDER TO GET US OUT OF THIS PATHETIC PIECE OF SLUM!" he bellowed. "AS SOON AS WE ARE OUT OF HERE, WE CAN GET SOME PROPER LODGINGS, AND THINGS WILL SOON BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO NORMAL!"_

_"NO THEY WON'T AND THEY NEVER WILL DO AS LONG AS YOU ARE AROUND" Rika cried back._

_"YOU ARE ROTTEN TO THE CORE. TO INCOMPETENT AND TO LAZY TO EVER MAKE ANY DECENT EARNINGS. ALL THAT YOU HAVE EVER DONE IS MOVE FROM ONE DEBT TO ANOTHER, AND EXPECT ME TO BAIL YOU OUT IN MUM'S ABSENCE. I ONLY HOPE THAT ONE DAY YOUR PETTINESS CATCHES UP WITH YOU AND THAT SOMEONE DOES THE RIGHT THING, BY PUTTING A BLASTER BOLT RIGHT BETWEEN YOUR EYES. CAUSE YOU SEE NOW I KNOW WHY IT IS THAT MUM PLANNED TO DIVORCE YOU! SHE RECOGNIZED THAT IT WAS THE ONLY WAY THAT SHE COULD LEGALLY GET BACK AT YOU, KNOWING THAT YOUR COLD LIFELESS HUSK WOULD END UP ROTTING IN SOME ALLEYWAY AND THAT SHE WOULD NOT HAVE TO COVER UP FOR ANYMORE OF YOUR MISGIVINGS!"_

_These words were harsh, revealing and meant to hurt. At the mention of her mothers intentions the Chiss male's grip and face had slackened. As his daughter finished however, he roared furiously his grip suddenly tightening again as he came at Rika his fist raised._

_BOOM!_

_The door was blasted inwards with such force that it shattered into several large chunks and splinters, which flew in every direction. Rika screamed and dropped to her knees submissively, as her father wheeled around but the assailants fired a warning shot and he froze tentatively on the spot._

_A band of broad shouldered bipedal lizards stepped over the thresholds, hissing ominously to themselves as they looked upon the Chiss with the intensity of predators looking down upon their prey. Trembling Rika, turned to look up at them. There were five of them altogether, each one thickset splendidly armored. Four of them had their weapons trained upon her and her father, whilst the fifth one stood rigidly in the centre looking from one Chiss to the other. Rika had seen enough of these figures to instantly recognise them as Trandosian's and from the look that their leader was giving her it did not take long to realise that both he and the rest of his crew, were enjoying themselves._

_Without a word to either of the prisoners the Trandosian leader reached for something at his belt line, which to the two Chiss' relief turned out to be a communicator. "Two boso" he said gruffly into the device, which suddenly whirred into life. "Ca poe aye. No, rack med doy aye"._

_The small projection of three slender figures came shimmering into view. Out of the corner of her eye Rika noticed her father shiver slightly under the look the new comers gave him._

_"Yes" one of the figures said pompously. "This looks like the man"._

_"Indeed" a second one said impetuously, before addressing Rika's father directly. "It appears that our search for you is over much sooner than any of us could have anticipated Betistial"._

_"Please -" Rika's father pleaded, crouching slightly as he held up his hands in a clear indication of surrender._

_"You have gotten yourself into quite a predicament Betistial" the third Muun said, ignoring the Chiss' pleas. Without provocation, the two Trandosian's at either end of the line moved forwards. They kept their weapons trained upon the prisoners until they within sufficient range to restrain both their charges and pull them gruffly into a standing position. Rika groaned uncomfortably as she was pulled roughly to her feet, and a thick muscled arm wrapped securely around her chest. A mirthless grunt from behind her told her that her captor wasn't doing this out of instruction but for fun. Goosebumps rippled across her skin._

_The Muun's made no comment concerning the Trandosian's actions. "Your preliminary payment has been well received, but you are still short. The Intergalactic Banking Clan does not take kindly to be squandered like this. These mercenaries" he indicated the Trandosian's "need paying. If you cannot produce the credits we will simply have to find some other way for you to pay back you debt to us"._

_"No, no please" the Chiss stammered in a hushed fearful whisper. "Please no. I have - I have your credits here. It - it's all there - " he said nodding towards the untidy gold pile now laying streamed across the floor. "It's all there. Right there waiting for you"._

_The Trandosian's eyed the small pile of trinkets contently and the Chiss were pleased to notice that their restraints slackened somewhat. The group leader turned the projection to face the box's contents and the Muun's studied it curiously. Both Rika and her father held their breath tentatively._

_"Very well then" one of the Muun's said serenely. "If everything is in order then you have nothing to fear. Captain have one of your men count the proceedings for us would you please and make sure that it is all accounted for"._

_Blowing out through his nostrils the captain gave a stiff nod, then turned towards the figure standing on his left. With a heavy grunt the Trandosian holstered its rifle then strode forwards, stooping before its unofficial takings. Rika's heart was racing, the hairs on the back of her neck tingling, her breathing shallow, hesitant and uneasy. For the next five minutes an eerie silence fell, in which the sound of metal clinking on metal could be heard as the soldier counted out its takings piece by piece._

_The creature snarled as it tossed the last golden trinket into its wooden holder. It wheeled around, its lips pulled back in an angry snarl. "Ha crew pie, un a collo oh rackba" it spat venomously. The rest of the Trandosian's expressions also hardened, and Rika felt a shiver go down her spine as her captors grip tightened again._

_"It appears that you are still short by one thousand credits, Betistial" the pompous sounding Muun said irritably. "One thousand credits that still need to be accounted for"._

_"No. Wait a minute" Rika's father pleaded fearfully. "No please I can explain that -"_

_"So" the first Muun said in a distinctly stale tone, "this is how you choose to repay us is it? The Clan has been very generous with you Betistial. We permit you an extension, a courtesy rarely given to one indebted to us and this is how you treat our generosity?"_

_"The clan does not take lightly to being squandered like this."_

_"Wait, please. No wait! I can pay ... "_

_"No more excuses" the Muun's cut across him. "We warned you that there would be consequences for you if our demands were not meet Betistial. If verbal warnings will not teach you then perhaps a physical punishment will suffice. You there teach him a lesson!" A mortified Rika watched helplessly as the Trandosian that had done the counting strode over to her father and cuffed him roughly round the head, promptly followed up by six hard blows to several other parts of the body._

_Rika turned her head away, and shut her eyes tightly unable to watch the terrible scene unfold. There was nothing she could do block out the cries of pain or the resounding crunches of flesh upon flesh, but she gave no protest nor demanded that their aggressors stop, so that she could offer to pay back the outstanding credits on her fathers behalf._

_She opened a wary eye just in time to see her father be upon the receiving end of a fearsome looking kick to the groin. She winced and turned away again, only to look up again when the Trandosian's let him fall onto the disheveled tattered carpet. The Chiss fell limply to the ground and lay there in a worn out pile, wincing terribly. A few of his teeth had been knocked out._

_His two aggressors stood leering over him. The Chiss tried to say something, but in his shell shocked state it came out as nothing more than a series of inaudible whistles, no doubt owing to the several newly acquired gaps in his jaw line. A skinny figure nodded, and the Trandosian's pulled him into a kneeling position. His head to one side, blood was dripping from his mouth and one of his eyes was swollen. The sight made Rika's stomach turn._

_"I can bay ... "_

_"Yes, and I am sure you will Betistial" the Muun's said casually. "What you experienced was but a taste of their displeasure. Trandosian's are very much like us you see, they don't like being messed with"._

_"No I -"_

_"Since you cannot pay back the credits and have nothing to offer in their place we are left with no choice. He belongs to you" the Muun said to the captain, "do with him as you wish"._

_"No bait. PLEASE, BAIT! Just one second. I boo, I boo ..." the Chiss spluttered looking imploringly at the holographic projection. Both Muun and Trandosian turned to look upon him curiously. "I boo, I boo ... I have on thing that might sabisfy you" he insisted and the Muun's flexed an eyebrow curiously._

_He turned to look at Rika, who felt her blood chill at the thought of her mothers Mandalorian locket, aptly concealed on her person soon to be in the hands of these barbarians. Her father turned away from her and looked up at the Trandosian chieftain, still clutching the small projections of its employers. Then, in front of everyone present, Rika's only remaining parent committed one of the most despicable loathsome sin's imaginable in regards to family relations._

_"My daugbter!" he spluttered through a mouthful of blood. "Take my daugbter an use her boo sebtle our dept!"_

_Rika's heart felt like it had stopped. She gasped, her body stiffened and her eyes widened in horror as she looked upon the man that had just sold her out in the most unspeakable way imaginable. She turned to the other spectators and was horrified to see them starring back at her._

_"A daughter?" one of the Muun's said, the first indications of interest present in its voice. "This is an interesting development. Bring her over here so that we may get a better look at her". Rika struggled as she was forced forwards into the Muun's evident field of vision. She stood before them trembling, wishing to be clothed in something more appropriate than her nightdress. The observers gave her the once over, then exchange unsettling looks with each other._

_"She certainly is quite the looker, which would make her a valuable commodity" one of the Muun's said skeptically. "Tell me is she still pure?"_

_"Pure" her father nodded, "and unblemished. Feel, fee to use ber howeber yo like". A small part of Rika insisted that this was not happening, that this was just some terrible nightmare and that she was going to wake up and find herself back under those molding blankets. As she felt the hot, heated breath on the back of her neck however, she realised that this was indeed a nightmare of sorts. Just one made manifest and she yearned to break free of her restraints and pummel the man responsible for all of this into oblivion. Her bonds however were too tight, and her muscles too numb._

_"Very well then" the Muun said after a moment of consideration. "Your debt with us is settled, but tell me Betistial are alright with this? Selling your daughter to us in order to sort out your own troubles". Rika's father lifted his head up to look directly at the Muun's but did not have the strength to answer him; not that it mattered either way. His actions spoke louder and clearer than any words could._

_"Let's see - we will arrange for ... four thousand credits to be transferred to your account in fair exchange for this accord Betistial. In future do not think to cross any of our investors ever again, as you will not have a good looking daughter to bail you out next time". Turning away from the Chiss, he told the Trandosian chieftain, "Bring the female back to Muunilinst unspoiled. You will be paid an extra three thousand credits for all of your troubles. You may keep the rest of the proceeds as was our original arrangement"._

_With a nod the Trandosian chieftain cut the transmission, replacing the device on his hip whilst barking a series of commands to his subordinates in his native tongue. Rika's desperate pleas were ignored as the beasts gathered up their general loot. Rika's father rested on his hands and knees for support glaring at the Trandosian's, but for the most part they ignored him. Though Rika was pleased to see one of the brutes deal her father one last well earned kick to the abdomen before parting, her brief moment of elation evaporated as she herself was then dragged screaming from the room by two of the burly lizard people._

_The last glimpse that she ever got of her father, was of him knelt amongst the shabby ruins of this cheap motel room staring contemptibly after her._

* * *

_"Rika, hey Rika?" Ariana's voice stirred the young female from her thoughts and she turned to see all of her friends staring at her._

_"Is everything ok?" one of them asked._

_"Yeah, yes sorry I am alright. Just got a bit lost within myself" Rika said evasively. She took a hold of her Muja juice and sipped it gratefully. A trickle of sweat now traced down her brow. A few of her friends, exchanged curious glances, overs looked confused. Subtly Ariana shifted her hand and lay it over Rika's._

_"Are you sure that you are ok? You're all sweaty and your hands are cold" the Zeltron said with concern._

_The Chiss smiled appreciatively at the other woman, gripping her hand back in return. "It's nothing to worry yourself about" she said earnestly, "some old memories just caught up with me". She took another graceful sip of Muja and felt the Zeltron's grasp tighten a little, making her appreciate just how lucky she was to have Ariana and this band of females as her friends._

_When she first arrived on Muunilinst Rika's exact fate had been uncertain. A group of surly looking individuals in full body armor had taken her from the Trandosian's to a small medical facility. Under the watchful gaze of her new owners, some guardsmen and several droid nursing staff Rika been forced to undergo an extensive physical examination, which ultimately reduced her to tears. The search confirmed her age, health status as well as everything else that her beastly father had said about her. From there the Muun's had decided upon how she could best serve them, then shipped her off to Paradise._

_When she had arrived along with several other new recruits Rika had been terrified and tearful. Once a transmitter chip had been placed inside her, she was informed about the daily structure that her life would take her overseers had assigned her some accommodation. As it turned out Ariana, an experienced worker by several months had been assigned as her room partner and warden of sorts._

_This small act of coincidence was one that Rika appreciated, even to this day for unlike some of the other folks here Ariana turned out to be both a compassionate and caring individual. She was one of the few people that Rika had actually confided her past experiences in. From there the Zeltron became a fast friend and mentor of sorts; helping Rika adjust to her new physical surroundings as well as the strenuous and emotional demands of their job. In the early days once Rika's training was completed Ariana had provided a shoulder to cry upon, after Rika's first experience and continued to do so until Rika was able to get her confidence back._

_As such the Chiss was determined to repay the Zeltron back for this act of kindness when and where possible, though of course her room mate had never asked for anything in return. Rika was secretly adamant however, just as much as she was determined to escape from this situation. In the months and years that had past since she found herself here, Rika had worked hard striving to become one of the best and most valuable employees that Paradise had to offer. She was rewarded for her efforts, and was now considered one of Paradises best pleasure givers, with a price to match her reputation. If she kept on working like this she would be able to save up enough credits not just to buy her own freedom but her roommates as well. The two of them might then be able to leave this place as equals and start a new life on their own terms somewhere out in the Mid Rim to Outer Rim worlds._

_With this thought in mind she picked up an apple, and took a large grateful bite out of it. Exchanging a brief smile with Ariana, Rika gazed absent mindedly around the room until something unexpected and unwelcome caught her attention. The hand which still clutched the fruit; fell away from her open mouth and she said sharply, "Hey everyone!" A hush fell over the gathering as they turned to follow her gaze._

_The Nikto male marched down the isles sinisterly though he sometimes paused to take note of his surroundings and the people in his line of vision. In contrast to the other Paradise workers he was rather thickset, and wore a thick standard custom made uniform embroidered with the Paradise emblem, marking him out as an overseer. The typical fearsome configuration of his facial features gave him a distinctly sinister appearance, further highlighted by the whip strapped to his side._

_A hush fell over the general area as several of the conversations died away, and large numbers of the slaves gazed fearfully into the Nikto's cold, harsh eyes. He said nothing however and continued to weave his way through the masses. Most of the diners were sitting down but the number that were still standing had to side step in order to let their overseer pass. Any that couldn't move were simply elbowed or shouldered roughly out of the way, upending and spilling the contents of their food trays in the process._

_Though he passed many of the workers by without of a second glance, several of the spectators watched the supervisor go by cautiously. For the most part those of his rank rarely entered this particular part of the facility, having been provided with a separate much more luxurious dining quarter all their own. Whenever one did show up, it often correlated to one of two things: trouble or work and credits._

_The way his head kept on turning was a clear indication that he was searching for someone in particular, and many workers hoped against hope that it would not be them!_

_He shoved aside another unfortunate worker that was too slow to get out of his way. The contents of the poor girls tray was upended all over the floor, and the young human herself lost her balance and went tumbling into a nearby group of seated workers. Two of them, a Twi'lek and a Rodian helped the new comer sit up without complaint, this was not the first time that this had happened. The group eyed the Nikto nervously._

_He stared at them scornfully, stepping onto the girls fallen food and shattered plate, turning away from her in a blatant act of disregard for her well being. As the ceramic and wooden tray crumpled and groaned under his weight the Nikto's gaze fell upon Rika and Ariana's table. He paused, the group met his eye and he did not turn away. Several of the spectators from nearby tables turned to look at Rika's gathering and back again._

_"Ah" the Nikto breathed quietly. He strode slowly and purposefully towards them, his gaze set eyes never blinking. Rika's heart was pounding, and several goosebumps rippled across her skin. A number of her friends were panting nervously, as the overseer bore down on them. Ariana looked cautiously at Rika, then back as the Nikto reached them. _

_His pace slowed, as he came up right behind Ariana. His heavily lidded eyes traveled the length of the table, passing over one cautious face to another until they finally settled -_

_\- on Rika!_

_Rika felt as if the bottom had dropped out of her stomach, yet she worked to control her fear and met his stoic gaze. Placing a hand on Ariana's shoulder the Nikto male shoved the female Zeltron roughly to one side, then purposefully and deliberately leant across her. He had not pushed her sufficiently clear, causing Ariana's chest to angle and rest against his abdomen. Despite the obvious discomfort on Ariana's part however, the Nikto ignored her. _

_Keeping one hand on Ariana's shoulder to fix and restrain her, the overseer placed his other palm on the table, then leant across to speak to Rika. "Servant" he said in a harsh dry voice that was almost completely devoid of emotion._

_Chancing a glance at her friend Rika noticed Ariana's displeasure and thought it best not to linger. "Yes?" she said meekly._

_"Finish your meal quickly, then head over to the observation stations. A customer has expressed interest with the faculty chief. They wish to meet and observe you before deciding whether or not to hire you out for a private booking". _

_Several people including Ariana flinched, and gasped though Rika herself gave no external reaction. "Of course sir" she said with a brief nod, her insides churning. "I will head over there shortly"._

_The Nikto blew air out through his nostrils, and nodded his satisfaction. Without asking, he reached over and stole a piece of fruit from Rika's food tray. "See to it that you do!" he said bluntly, before taking a large bite out of the pear. He straightened and pushed Ariana away from him so forcefully that she banged her head on the table. Not bothering to apologise he took one more mouthful, then tossed the rest of the fruit away. _

_Still chewing he added "Make sure you are quick about it. There's going to be two of you working this job, and I am off to find your work partner". __Bits of mushy fruit flew from his mouth, and splattered over Rika, Ariana and the unfortunate Zeltron sitting next to her. With a sinister smile the Nikto said "It would be preferable if the customers could observe you both together". _

_He walked off, chuckling evilly._

_There was an awkward silence as everyone turned to stare at Rika. The Chiss took a few deep steadying breaths. This was not the first time that her peace time had been interrupted due to unscheduled work, and it certainly would not be last. Even so there was always something unsettling about it. _

_Her neighbor put a comforting hand on her shoulder but Rika ignored her. She picked up one of her napkins and wiped the spittle from her cheek. Replacing the cloth she pushed the half eaten meal away from her suddenly not feeling very hungry._

_"Rika -" Ariana started to say but then stopped hesitantly. This was also a common, what could one say to comfort another person in their line of work? _

_"I am going to head over there now" Rika told the silent onlookers. Clasping her friends hand she removed it from her shoulder, then got to her feet, stepping out from behind the bleachers. "Would you mind taking care of that for me please somebody?" she said nodding at the tray. _

_Before anyone could answer she said "Thank you", then set off down the aisle._

* * *

_Half an hour later -_

* * *

_Rika stood in a small antechamber, that joined the main office in the Paradise Pleasure section. Most of the workers here referred to this area as the observation deck or viewing gallery, as the reception itself was usually lined with a dozen or so pleasure slaves that stood on either side of the room like mannequins, illustrating the goods available to potential customers. In the case of particularly wealthy individuals however, including the pair that the Serosian sales-master was currently negotiating with, various entertainers were called out one by one to be assessed by the purchaser. _

_This simple action gave the spectators an illustration not just of the full range and scale of what the Paradise pleasure service had to offer them, but the power and wealth of their Muun employers as well. _

_Excited chatter emulated from behind the curtain that concealed Rika from view. She stood tall in the dimly lit room alongside a female Twi'lek called Hirani Ivaadi. The pair had seen each other from time to time and were on good speaking terms, though due to the variations in their rota's they rarely hung out. This had not stopped them greeting each other enthusiastically when they saw each other upon first arriving here. Like Rika, Hirani had worked hard to develop a reputation as one of Paradises most prized workers. The pair had even worked together on several occasions so it was good for Rika to be in the company of someone that she both like and appreciated._

_This was more than could be said for the Nikto overseer that stood across from them. The sole of his right boot was pressed against the wall he was leant up against, arms folded across his chest. As was typical of his species his features were stern, so it was impossible to tell what he was really thinking. He kept his gaze trained on the doorway, listening intently to the conversation. His jaw rocked from side to side, as if he was chewing something. _

_This lack of conversation suited Rika just fine, as she was busy steeling herself for what needed to be done. In what was the custom fashion both she and Hirani had dispensed of their grey tight suits in favor of a pair of matching black ones. Whilst the patterns and shapes of their attire were exactly the same as their custom uniforms, the new set were for display purposes only and as such were less frequently worn, making them look almost brand new. _

_A pair of male voices could still be heard chattering away from behind the curtain, but Rika paid little attention to what they were saying._ S_ighing slightly she turned to look at Hirani, who looked nowhere near as nervous as she did. Noticing, the Twi'lek gave her a small smile, then turned to look back at the entrance._

_Still chewing the Nikto male shot the pair of them a disapproving look, then went to staring blankly at the curtain. The voices on the other side of the flap became a little more excited. Realizing that she didn't have long to wait now, Rika listened intently. _

_"You are quite sure that they are up to the job?"_

_"Of course, of course sir" came the boastful and exaggerated response. Rika knew that voice, it belonged to the over excited Serosian sales-master, a man that she could testify was as good with words as he was at conning customers out of their money. _

_"Here on Paradise, we take exceptional pride in making sure that each and every one our customers is well satisfied. Why just last night Master Hill sent us an entire inventories worth of satisfied reviews, stating what a magnificent job we were doing here. I can provide you with an upload if you like"._

_"Thank you but I cannot linger" the other man said. "Rather important business meeting and all that, if I am absent for to long people might get suspicious. I simply came here just to make sure that the Viceroy's instructions will be carried out". _

_"Ah but of course, but of course Mr Hakko sir" the Serosian said by way of flattery. "Naturally, naturally of course you would be busy. I completely understand sir, what with being a man of business myself and all that". He clapped his hands, and stood expectantly waiting for a response. When none came he quickly returned to the matter at hand. _

_"Uh right. Now - uh now then, in regards sir - in regards to this uh how shall we say business transaction. You will appreciate I am sure that I cannot speak for the other departments of course. But rest assured Mr Haako sir, that our section is doing everything that it can sir, **everything it can** to make sure that Mr Gunray's instructions are followed through to the letter. I assure you Mr Haako sir on my honor, that this Viceroy of yours will not be disappointed. These two particular girls that I have got in mind, not only are they talented they are the absolute best! The very best, at what they do sir! Nothing less than what Mr Gunray would expect"._

_"Hmm" the individual named Haako said doubtfully. "I will believe that only when I see it"._

_"Ahh, a keen eye if I do say so myself, if I do say so myself" the sharp voiced Serosian said quickly, no doubt waggling a finger approvingly in the other mans direction. "But I guarantee sir, nothing will go wrong on these girls part sir, nothing what so ever". He laughed reassuringly, and his voice suddenly became louder and a lot more audible. Judging from the pattering sound that accompanied the vocals, and the shadow that fell over the curtain Rika realised that he was right outside the doorway._

_Not wanting to look as though he was slacking the Nikto suddenly ceased the grinding of his jaw and stood up straight. Knowing what was about to happen both Rika and Hirani braced themselves._

_"You can meet them right now if you would like too?!"_

_He peeled back the curtain and that was their cue! Without further provocation, both Rika and Hirani stepped forwards, walking past the Nikto without looking at him. They walked at a slow methodical pace, Rika at the head, smiling affectionately as the soft, plum colored room almost gracefully. Seated in an ornate chair in front of the sales-masters desk was a strange looking creature in dark tinted robes and wearing a peculiar headdress. _

_It took a moment before Rika was able to identify the creature as a Neimoidian. This was not surprising at it had been quite some time since she had last seen one, but that was not for here or now. All that mattered was that she played her part correctly and did not show her managers up._

_Both she and Hirani walked to either side of the desk, never taking their eyes off the Neimoidian. They stopped in identical fashion, their right hands clasped firmly over their left and bowed deeply to him._

_"That's enough now girls" laughed the sales-master, as he gave them both a hard pat on the shoulder which felt more like a thump. "That's enough", they straightened up._

_"Well-" Rune Haako hesitated, looking from one slave girl to another. Perhaps he was briefly enraptured by their beauty or his business senses were going into overdrive now that he had actually meet them in the flesh. Unable to find any apparent criticisms he simply said, "They are certainly good mannered"._

_"That they are sir" the Serosian acknowledged, pulling out his own chair and sitting down again. "That they are sir, and quite good looking too if I do say so myself. I am sure that Mr Gunray will be most satisfied"._

_"Yes" the Neimoidian said, sounding only mildly interested. "You must remember of course that the girls are not for him however!"_

_"Oh but of course sir" the Serosian said, waving a hand apologetically. "But of course sir. My most sincerest of apologies a mere slip of the tongue on might part". When no confirmation of forgiveness was given the Serosian turned to Rika and Hirani. "Uh well uhm (he cleared his throat). Uh anyways - girls this here is Mr Rune Haako. He is Chief Settlement Officer of the Trade Federation. You have heard of the Trade Federation haven't you?"_

_They both nodded. "Excellent, excellent. Now listen carefully then girls. Mr Haako here, has a very important job for the pair of you. Do you want me to tell them about it Mr Haako or would you prefer to do the honors?"_

_"I think it best if I explain it to them" the Neimoidian said bluntly getting to his feet. He pulled a circular data disk from the inside of his robes, "May I?" he asked, as he leant over the desk. Smiling horribly, the Serosian bowed his consent, waving his palm over the controls. The Neimoidian placed his file on the port. _

_"Now listen very carefully ladies" he said seriously looking between Rika and Hirani. "I do not have time to repeat myself here, and I am already running late as it is. So listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you. __A meeting will take place later on today, in the next hour or so, between the Trade Federation Viceroy and a very important business acquaintance of ours". _

_He tapped the surface of the disk and an image sprang up from its surface. They stared at the rotating projection of a strange looking alien, the likes of which Rika had never seen before. Slender but reasonably muscled the figure sported simple trappings, which in itself would have been unimpressive, were it not for the fact that he wore what looked like a skull over his face._

_"This is the man in question" Haako continued, "he goes by the name of Grievous. He is a Kaleesh warlord" he added, noticing their expressions "and a very powerful one at that! If the accounts are to believed, he has killed many people in the past". Rika and Hirani exchanged nervous glances, even the sales-master looked a little uneasy. He started to protest but Rune Haako cut across him._

_"Fortunately for now, it appears as though those days are behind him. Right now Grievous makes his money and earns his keep in the service of others. The Viceroy is hoping to be able to change all that. He thinks that with his skill set Grievous would be a valuable commodity to the Federation, and wishes to hire him"._

_"He is organizing a big event tonight, in the hope of doing just that. It will take place in the private gaming quarter". This made the females eyes widen; Paradises private gaming area, which though well heard of and talked about was typically out of bounds to even the most seasoned workers. Rika doubted whether even the managers had access to this area. To even enter it one had to either have a private invitation from the Muuns or be exceptionally wealthy._

_"Your services have been paid for" Haako went on, drawing Rika back to the matter at hand. "and you will be well compensated for your services. What the Viceroy wants you to do is satisfy him in any way possible. Do anything and everything he asks of you. Pay attention to no one else and focus all of your luxuries on him. Think __you can do that?"_

_Once again the girls nodded. The sales-master said "Course they can. Like I said before our girls can do anything"._

_"Very well then" Haako gave a stiff nod, then reached out and pulled the holo-disk from its port. The projection of Grievous faded almost instantly. "I'll take my leave then. See you a bit later" he said to Rika and Hirani. He left without another word. _

_The Sales-Master waved him goodbye saying kindly things about him, but Haako him no reply. As soon as the Neimoidian was safely out of ear shot the Sales-Master dropped his professional facade and spoke very fiercely to each of the girls. _

_"Did you get all that? Did you get all those instructions?!" he barked in a much louder tone than was necessary. "I sincerely hope so for your sake's. The most important matter on this station is doing good business, and making a good amount of credits. Even if it is with the likes of the Trade Federation"._

_He rose briskly to his feet then, walked slowly and purposefully around them. Neither his voice nor his expression softened. "You will stop whatever it is that you are doing and dedicate yourselves fully to this assignment, and make sure that you do a damned good job while you're at it! Word has reached my ears that Master Hill, the owner of this station is visiting. Him and a couple of his other top associates. I would hate to give him reason to suspect that we are slacking off here, especially with his most prominent business rivals"._

_A shiver went down Rika's spine. Realizing that he had touched a nerve, the Serosian waddled towards her. He paused at Rika's shoulder, and the Chiss felt his hot, foul smelling breath blow over her as he leant to whisper in her ear. "If they do" he said sinisterly, "then we know who to blame!"_

_He drew away from her. "Giron!" he barked and the Nikto stepped out from behind his shelter. "Escort these two back to whence forth you found them. Make sure they that they get where they are supposed to be at the designated time. I will arrange clearance for you". _

_He sat down behind his desk, before realising that none of his workers had left yet. "What are you standing around for?" he demanded. "Go, get yourselves ready. Get out of my sight. Go on. GO ON!" he said, ushering them out of the doorway. _

* * *

_Rika would really like to have gone and find Ariana, to tell her all about what had just happened. She knew that her friend would be supportive and Rika would be able to confide in her. Given what had happened in the cafeteria, she knew that her friend would be worried sick about her and would not be satisfied until she saw her friend return. _

_As Giron led them down the halls, towards the changing rooms Rika realised that there was little chance of this happening. Both she and Hirani had been given little over an hour to prepare themselves for the matter at hand. Not that she minded however._

_One of the things that Rika's mother had instilled into her only daughter from an early age, was the desire to do her best and make sure that she always saw her task through to the end. "It does not matter what life throws at you" she used to tell her, "as long as we dedicate ourselves, then we can make it through. So bear that in mind my dear daughter, for there will always be testing times ahead of us but if we work hard enough, and can make it through those times then your wish no matter what it may be will eventually come true. Always strive to do your best, my dearest daughter and life will see you through"._

_Here on Paradise, Rika had striven to live by those words, which was why she did not complain or protest. Instead she smiled, determined to do her best. When this was over her employers, including San Hill would see what a dedicated worker she was. It might be strenuous it might be demeaning on her part, but she would get there eventually. For the time being, this Grievous fellow or whatever he was called was in for the experience of a life time._

_Reaching the changing rooms both she and Hirani readied themselves. Following a quick bath to cleanse themselves, the pair seated themselves in front of a set of highly ornate mirrors and spent the next twenty minutes applying a various assortment of make ups and perfumes, the effect of which made them look even more attractive. After that they got dressed; the changing area affixed to the main wardrobe had many options but the pair opted for articles of clothing that were both comfortable and physically appealing._

_With five minutes to spare the pair inspected themselves, standing in front of huge body mirrors, they studied themselves intently looking for any flaws, making sure that they were as humanely attractive and appealing as possible. Rika gave a satisfied smile, causing her reflection to smile back right back at her. She turned to Hirani who like wise seemed happy with her appearance. _

_Nodding to each other they turned to face Giron who was waiting for them at the opposite end of the room. The Nikto had to work hard to keep his emotions in check as he escorted them over towards the lift shaft. As they waited for the lift to arrive, the Nikto male did his best not to study the pair of females to intently. As the doors opened, Rika and Hirani stepped inside, ready and waiting to begin their shift._

* * *

**End of Chapter 1.5**

* * *

Well there you go ladies and gentlemen. It has taken some time but this chapter is finally out.

Sorry for taking so long.

Please let me know what you think of it.

The third and final installment will be coming out soon ... hopefully.


	3. Chapter 2

**Gunray's Disposition: Chapter 2**

Hey, everybody.

Welcome to the penultimate instalment of this FanFiction story!

I know that this story is not as popular as my previous instalment, but to be honest, in the long run, that is not really important. It might take a while but I really do enjoy writing these stories and I am looking forward to writing its sequel.

As an added feature a "small" bonus segment will be attached to the bottom of the next chapter.

I sincerely hope that you (the viewers) enjoy reading them both, and of course please feel free to let me know what you think.

**Rating**: Once again this story is rated T for teen.

**Warning:** as with the previous instalment this chapter contains mild violence, gambling segments, along with implications of sexual activities. Although these are not full out -

**NEVER THE LESS YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

**Authors note **Thanks to everyone for viewing this story.

**Disclaimer**: As always I do not own Star Wars or any of its official material / characters / quotes!

* * *

**Gunray's Disposition: Chapter 2**

* * *

The extensive silence was starting to become eerie, the tension barely tolerable. For the span of several heartbeats everything was still. The only sound came from the droid's whirring motors, coupled with the distant din echoing from the main casino floor and the hushed whispers of the Neimoidian cluster. Several members of the battle droid security team seemed to sense the growing tensions, tightening their hold on their blaster rifles. But for the moment, no designated target was given, nor a signal to advance or open fire.

At the rooms epicentre Grievous continued to glare at Gunray, his question still uncontested and unchallenged. From behind the Kaleesh, the protocol droid's and Card Shark stood to one side, waiting for instructions their gaze still focused on their main charge. By contrast, the chairman of Inter Galactic Clan stood at the forefront of his procession of Muuns glaring at the back of one of his most prized possessions cranium, with borderline vexation. To his contemporary Muuns, it was evident that Hill was angry, which if past experience was anything to go by was a clear indication that somebody was going to suffer.

That he had not held an intervention so far, illustrated that so far the Muun chairman's curiosity to ascertain the Viceroy's intentions outweighed his desire to put his foot down. It seemed that like the rest of the Muun's Hill was also keen to see just exactly what his commercial rival was up too. The Viceroy himself was currently wringing his stubby, withered hands, blinking repeatedly as he gazed upon the Kaleesh general. He seemed taken aback by the Warlords sudden boldness and unexpected accusation.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hill noticed Haako talking hurriedly to one of his higher ranking contemporaries, apparently trying to soothe the second individual's concerns. This brought a small twinge of satisfaction to Hill's features. Evidently, whatever it was that the Neimoidians were scheming, it had not gone accordingly. With a satisfied smile, the Muuns attention was diverted to the two figures stood on either side of Grievous.

The Kaleesh agent's arms were still entwined around their figures and, in accordance with their station, the pair also had their arms laced around his torso. A rage as bright as Muunilinst's twin moons on a starlit night burnt from inside the chairman as he glared upon the two females with incandescent fury. These two individuals worked on Paradise, which by extension made them Hill's property and not the Viceroys. Yet here they were serving his machinations instead of Hill's in exchange for material gain. This made their betrayal that much more unforgivable.

Extending a bony finger Hill beckoned to one of the Muun spectators, a lower ranking aid, and whispered something into the young Muuns ear, gesturing towards the two female figures as he spoke. Though the Kaleesh, Chiss and Twi'lek remained completely oblivious to his actions, the Muun's eyes never truly wavered from them. At least not until he had finished his directive, whereupon Hill broke his gaze from the silhouettes in front of him and turned his head around to make sure that his instructions had been perfectly relayed and understood. With a deep crease to his brow, the second Muun gave an affirmative nod. Turning his back on the spectacle in front of him, he began purposefully pushing his way through the crowd, making for the stairwell that they had just recently ascended.

* * *

It just so happened that the departure of this particular Muun coincided with the Viceroys decision to put his grand schemes into action.

Emerging from his stupor, Nute Gunray chuckled, his features twisting into the cheap imitation of a smile. Swaggering purposefully forwards he flashed a toothy grin in Grievous' direction, a small snigger emanating from behind his grey-yellowed teeth. The Kaleesh had enough composure not to react but was none the less repelled. The Chiss and Twi'lek pleasure slaves dipped their heads in an apparent gesture of respect but in truth did not wish to look upon the Viceroy's expression any longer. Fortunately for them, Gunray wasn't paying them the slightest bit of attention and this small gesture of disapproval went unnoticed.

"You are very perceptive General, not to mention daring," Gunray said in an animated tone. "It seems that I was right when I judged you; you possess a strong determination and resolution to sort out any situation".

_Only when it comes to Kalee, and the sanctity of my people _Grievous thought to himself but said nothing. Instead, he braced his muscles ready to spring at the slightest motion.

"Not only that but you are not afraid to contradict or stand up to those in positions of power in order to accomplish your goals" the Viceroy added. "An admirable quality. Move aside -" his tone suddenly shifted as he motioned towards the slave girls.

Dipping their heads in supplication, the two females withdrew from Grievous' personal space. Grievous let them go without protest, his arms dropping to his side. He held his ground and stared intently at the Viceroy, his golden eyes meet the horizontally cut scarlet ones. That sickly smile was still present on the Gunray's features and Grievous was so reviled his hand twitched involuntarily towards his side arm. As the Neimoidians open palm came to rest delicately across his bicep Grievous felt a strong desire to give into that temptation, simply draw his sidearm and put a round clean through the Viceroy's brow ridges.

"I must confess; I admire you General. I really do" the Viceroy said patting the Kaleesh's arm gently. It was a sincere comment, or at the very least made to sound like one but Grievous did not feel any sense of appreciation. Resisting the urge to slap that irritating hand away, before reaching out and strangling the lowly creature, Grievous took a minuscule step backwards pulling as tentatively as possible out of the Viceroy's reach.

"This still doesn't answer my question" he responded in a voice of measured calm. "What do you want with me?"

The Viceroy's immediate response was to laugh, shaking his head casually as if Grievous had made some kind of practical joke. A number of the lesser Neimoidians chose to emulate the Viceroy's example adding their own croaking, groaning guffaws to the din as well. Rune Haako and several of the senior officials opted to maintain some level of composure and chose not to follow their leader's example, though they did cast disapproving looks at the others. As for Grievous, his glare intensified as he realised that he was liking the Viceroy significantly less and less with each passing second.

Fortunately, the unsightly display did not last for long. Within the span of two or three heartbeats, Gunray was straightening up and quickly composing himself. Clearing his throat, he held up a hand for silence, which with some minor assistance from Rune Haako was quickly granted. "Please pardon my unexpected outburst," he said in an unapologetic tone "it is just that I have already explained the purpose of our meeting. As I said to you before leaving the main conference room General, we are here to talk about battle droids – more specifically **your** battle droids. The ones whose designs you submitted to San Hill, only to be turned down due to time constraints and inappropriate funding".

Once again Grievous felt his anger abate slightly at the mention of these droids but refused to let his guard drop completely. "What about them?"

"I am curious you see Grievous," the Viceroy said slyly. Tapping his fingers together, he said "What I wanted to know is – are you still interested? Interested, in transforming them from simple designs into a reality".

"What?" Grievous' surprise was genuine. He continued to stare at the Viceroy completely taken aback. Nor was he the only one.

"Imagine it Grievous," the Viceroy said, raising his voice a little whilst at the same time peering behind Grievous' shoulder so as to take in the Muun's equally flabbergasted expressions. "Imagine," he said a much more hushed tone, "having control of the very thing that the IBC has denied you – prototypes. Two or three, perhaps even a dozen, an entire squadron of your very own combat droids. Droids that you personally designed, built to your specifications standing in battle formation. Ready to go to war, at your command! They obey nobody else, answering only to you. Think of the benefits that would go to the one that commands them, and how many enemies could be vanquished as a result, with – one – simple - command. Of course, their numbers will be small to start off, but only because necessity demands it. Once the necessary modifications and adjustments have been made, however, then who knows? Given time perhaps, the said creator could command an entire legion, perhaps even an entire army's worth of these battle droids!"

The speech was well rehearsed and thought out. Only now did Grievous truly understand, perhaps even appreciate, how Nute Gunray for all his many flaws had risen to his position. What he lacked in physical strength, the Neimoidian made up for with shrewd, subtle manipulations and when necessary flamboyant displays of prestige.

Yet for all his skill, Grievous recognised that the honeyed words still dripped with poison. Just as the vine snake uses its tail to lure potential victims into striking range with the promise of a potential meal so too did the Viceroy seek to manipulate his prey.

Despite himself, Grievous could not deny that the plot was actually working. The venom had already been implanted. Countless references to his battle droid designs, coupled with his appreciative words and his displacement of the Muuns from within their own establishment had finally peaked the Khagans curiosity.

Knowing that he was going to regret asking this question, Grievous demanded, "What exactly is your point Viceroy?"

Again the Viceroy sniggered. "My point is General - that every army has its weaknesses," he said subtly. "You are a warlord, surely you must have seen this for yourself. A sentient army, whether comprised of many different species or of a singular one will stay united in the face of a common enemy, but given time the army will fragment. This often happens because voices of discontent are always creeping in, resulting in a descent among the masses. No matter where you go there will always be those that speak out and secede from unity as a result of some misgiving".

Grievous said nothing, he just stared blankly at the Viceroy. There was no denying, however, that the Viceroys words possessed the harsh element of truth about them. The Kaleesh's actions on Kalee following the end of the Huk War and proceeding Grievous' departure was harsh, living proof of this.

"That is why corporations such as the Trade Federation and Intergalactic Banking Clans chose to utilise battle droids as the mainstay of their armadas. Yes, any number of them can and will be destroyed as a result of some major confrontation, or in a few instances reprogrammed into serving the enemy, unless we take the necessary precautions of course" he laughed humorously, which prompted a few of the other Neimoidians to join in but Grievous was not amused. Neither were the Muun's and the laughter quickly subsided.

Clearing his throat, the Viceroy continued. "As I was saying, despite these setbacks a droid army possess numerous advantages over its organic counterpart. Primarily, because it does not require food or oxygen, not to mention many of the other essentials necessary to keep any standard army functional and moralised. It can be programmed and augmented with little effort, its troops require less training, and above all else, its losses can quickly be replaced. Sometimes to exponential rates, wouldn't you agree about that San?"

Over his shoulder Grievous saw Hill glare at the Neimoidian, grinding his teeth furious but the Kaleesh did not give him the chance to say anything.

"That may be true" Grievous accepted, "but it still does not answer my question". He didn't mention that without the quality to back up such a large number of troops basic functions a lack of sufficient programming would only get you so far. Without creativity and adaptability troops like these were nothing short of cannon fodder. _Give me a band of Izvoshra over an entire legions worth of battle droids any _day he mused silently. He kept these observations to himself for the time being, however, and didn't say anything lest he offend any of these powerful men.

The Viceroy smiled, flashing his yellowed grey teeth again. "My point is Grievous," he said gently, as he raised his right hand slowly and made a gesturing motion. "That every army - even a droid army possesses a single underlying necessity".

Two Neimoidian aides came scampering towards them, their heads dipped in respectful acknowledgement as they approached their chief commander. Scurrying past the Chiss, they deposited something large and heavy on the thick gaming table behind Gunray, then took a swift step, bowing deeply and then returning to their place in the audience.

Both Chiss and Twi'lek looked apprehensively at Grievous. The Kaleesh ignored them, instead chancing a glance at the object the Neimoidian flunkies had just deposited. Sitting beside Gunray was an ornate black box, four feet across and two feet deep. Whether it was made out of wood or metal Grievous could not tell but its surface was ornate and richly carved. Begrudgingly intrigued the Kaleesh took a cautious step closer.

"An army," the Viceroy said, running his fingers playful across the top of the box so that his nails clicked against the surface with every motion ...

"Requires credits in order to function" his hand stretched slowly and purposefully towards the heavy latch ...

"Whether it be to build and supply one or simply maintain it". He lifted back the catch ...

"This, as I understand it General is the primary reason that your battle droids have not been made a reality yet". The smile was still present on his face as his hand caressed the lid of the box ...

"A lack of credits and financial backing". His fingers coiled slowly, almost tauntingly towards the fringe of the lid ...

"Credits ... which … **I happen to have!**"

"**UH – UH – UHHH!**"

Just as quickly as it was opened, the lid slammed shut again but not before Grievous had glimpsed its contents. Resting inside, stacked within net rows, lay columns of gold sheaf credits, including a number of the same make that the Viceroy had bestowed upon Grievous earlier. The glimpse had been momentary but everyone knew that there was enough money in there to guarantee that whoever owned them would be able to live in exceptional comfort for several generations.

Enough to ensure that even someone who despised money, would be tempted by its offerings ...

... and Grievous had made a lunge for the credits the moment he saw them!

Realising what had just happened the Kaleesh retracted his hand, the taloned nail on his middle finger still itching from where the lid had momentarily compressed down on it. Gunray his hand now resting firmly on the boxes surface was grinning from ear to ear and shaking his head playfully in the Kaleesh's direction. Grievous cursed himself for his momentary lapse of judgement. He had played right into the Viceroys hands and now, judging by the sinister knowing smile stretched across the Neimoidians features, Gunray had Grievous exactly where he wanted him.

"You don't get something for nothing Grievous," Gunray said snidely, unintentionally using the exact same words that San Hill had used many months ago. "Least of all a large amount of credits such as this, but do not threat. I admit that they do have a certain appeal about them, which is why I am willing to let you have them if you are, how should I say – prepared to make a certain venture".

"What do you mean?!" Grievous demanded.

Grinning evilly the Viceroy gestured at the Chiss and Twi'lek, then pointed at Grievous. The Kaleesh gave the pair a momentary glance as they re-entered his personal space once again, wrapping their arms tenderly around his own and started caressing his tense biceps. The soothing motions helped to placate Grievous somewhat as he returned his attention to the Viceroy.

Smiling evilly, Gunray approached Grievous once again. "Tell me," he asked with genuine curiosity, "are you a gambling man General?"

"Only with my own life and those of my troops," the Kaleesh said boastfully and proudly, the Chiss now running her soft, soothing hand across the underside of his chin.

"A noble sentiment, one that I would expect no less of from you," the Viceroy said dryly. "However, that is not exactly what I meant". Gunray spread his arms out, motioning around him as if pointing out something particularly obvious to a blatantly unobservant person. "What I meant to say was – are you much of a chance taker. If so then look around you, we are at a gambling station, and gaming facilities like these are always meant to present its host and patrons with endless opportunities. As such, I was wondering if you perhaps you-" once again his fingernails rapped against the lid of the box, this time in a very foreboding manner. "Fancied taking a little time off, in order to make a small wager!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" a new voice interjected before Grievous could put a word in. Both Grievous and Nute Gunray, whipped around to find San Hill striding briskly towards them. They had almost forgotten about the presence of the Muun procession.

"This has gone far enough now Gunray!" the Muun barked viciously glaring at the Viceroy. "You have delayed both me and my staff long enough now with this persistent banter of yours. Grievous shall not be taking you up on your offer because he has other duties to attend too".

The Muun towered over Grievous and threw a threatening look in his direction as if daring him to say otherwise. The Warlord simply held his ground, meeting the chairman's stare with a glare borderline disdain, but said nothing that either supported or dispelled San Hill's claim. Instead, it was the two females stood on the side of the Kaleesh that quailed under Hill's glare.

Heads dipped subserviently they shrank away from the towering grey robed figure and edged closer to Grievous. The Kaleesh held San Hills glare but subconsciously rested a hand on the lower end of their backs. This gesture had nothing to with affection nor genuine kindness but was simply a reassuring means of comfort. As far as Grievous was concerned these two were simply innocent bystanders.

"Oh," Gunray responded, feigning mock surprise. "Tell me then Hill" he swaggered forwards purposefully until he was standing right in front of the Intergalactic Chairman. "Exactly what sort of duties demand Grievous' such urgent attention that you feel the need to whisk him away so promptly?"

The Muun's lips opened slightly but no sound came out. He had stumbled momentarily and Grievous realised that Gunray had caught him out. "Ah well," the Muun said, fumbling on each word as if he was trying to seek out the best answers, which in all likelihood he probably was. "Well, there is the priority mission of ensuring our safety and getting us back home to Muunilinst -"

Gunray smiled serenely. "I never said anything about Grievous ever needing to leave your presence while you remain here on this so called entertainment facility. You are of course, more than welcome to remain here and watch any and all of the exchanges that go on between us if you so choose to do so. If on the other hand, you are still worried about your own personal safety then let me remind you that the Trade Federation has already more than happily provided an entire squadron of security droids, which even now secure the immediate area" he gestured at the B1 battle droids surrounding the room's perimeter.

"Plus" he added slyly, "if I recall when we first arrived here the first thing you did at our meeting was to reassure our compatriots that with all the tight security measures in place here it was practically unheard of for an interloper to get behind the scenes anywhere here on Paradise station. 'Frankly, it is almost impossible' were your exact words if I remember correctly."

"That is beside the point!" the Muun insisted. He stepped closer so that he towered over Gunray and raised a bony finger, pointing it accusingly at the Neimoidians torso. The effect was dispelled by Hill stammering and hesitating on his words. "Your actions – that is what I mean to say" he was evidently trying his best to keep this as polite and civil as possible.

"You, you know full well what I me- here Viceroy. It's just that – well it's um". Grievous stared incredulously at Hill.

"Well its, - well it's sabotage!" he finally decreed. "That's what this is, Gunray, sabotage and you know it! The Trade Federation and its wingmen are deliberately attempting to undermine our authority, by interfering in affairs which do not concern you". He gestured his Muun compatriots who nodded vehemently, and several spoke fierce notes of approval, shooting disapproving looks in Gunray's direction. A few of the more, braver individuals moved to stand on either side of the chairman, glaring disapprovingly at Viceroy Nute Gunray.

If the Neimoidian felt either intimidated, or insulted by any of these accusations he did not show any visible signs of offence. On the contrary, he was smiling, baring his foul, unsightly teeth. "I apologise if I have offended you. It was never my intention to give off a wrong impression" he said smarmily.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but it was my belief that Grievous was relieved of his position as our chief of security from the moment that he exited the main casino area. Furthermore I was under the impression that the Clan did not mind what any of its employees, not just Grievous but any of your other workers on this station for example" he waved an indicative hand at Grievous and the two pleasure slaves as he said this, "got up to in their spare time so long as it does not interfere with their work schedule".

The Muuns went silent, Hill stared incredulously at Gunray, causing the Neimoidian to smirk triumphantly. "This means unless of course I am very much mistaken and by all means please feel free to rectify me if I am, that until Grievous re-enters your shuttle, he is a free agent. This means, technically, he is allowed to make his own decisions, and to do whatever he pleases!"

His teeth were bared in a savage, sinister smile, which only widened as the Muuns looked towards each other seemingly at a loss for words. When Hill feebly muttered something that sounded like, "... exploiting a loophole ...", Gunray shrugged and responded, "Perhaps I am, but I am not overstepping any boundaries then am I?"

A short silence ensued, before Grievous finally decided, he had had enough of this! Whilst the Kaleesh did perhaps partially appreciate the Neimoidians offer, as well as his exploitation and private humiliation of Grievous' Muun employers, it still did not change the fact that the two cooperation leaders were squabbling over him as if he was something to be squandered over.

If there was one thing Grievous despised, it was having other people dictate his course without consent!

Peeling away from the females encompassing arms, he took a deliberate and determined step forwards. "May I say something?" he asked coldly, without bothering to conceal the displeasure from his voice.

"Whilst I appreciate the great lengths that you have gone to, the fact remains Viceroy that I do not possess any knowledge on how to play any of these games here, which makes your efforts a moot point". He cringed inwardly and resorted to digging his nails into the palm of his hands in an effort to stop himself shivering. It was shameful for any warrior, especially one of his calibre, to admit to having any weaknesses.

It was, however, partially worthwhile. Out of the corner of his eye, Grievous distinctly saw San Hill throw a small appreciative smile his way. This was good news, as this meant Hill had realised that Grievous despised the Viceroys actions just as much as he did. This meant that hopefully, in the long run, Grievous had not yet earned the Muuns full displeasure.

Turning his gaze contently upon Viceroy Gunray he started to add, "Therefore, I think it best that I -"

"No problem" the Viceroy interrupted, with a casual wave of the hand, turning his back on San Hill and his entourage. "You see Grievous, each of these games is state of the art, it incorporates a tutorial for inexperienced players such as yourself. As for the rules, soon remedied". Turning his head sharply to the left, the Neimoidian clapped his hands twice.

There was the distinctive sound of something mechanical powering up. The card shark, which had evidently been in stand-by mode and had not uttered a single word since everyone entered the room, ambled towards them. "Greetings" it said politely, in a distinctly mechanical, monotonic genderless voice "how might I be of service".

"We appear to have reached a little bit of a predicament droid, one that I am hopeful you will be able to resolve," the Viceroy said curtly. "I wish to participate in a friendly one on one with my mutual acquaintance here" he gestured at the Kaleesh, then quickly carried on without giving Grievous, who was showing every sign of interrupting a chance to protest. "However, it seems that he does not appear to be familiar with any of your delightful pass times".

He shot Grievous a savage smile that blatantly said he enjoyed making that particular remark. Grievous clenched his fists again, his tusked chin resting on his collarbone as he growled ominously at the Viceroy. The Chiss and Twi'lek took a cautious step back.

"Would you be able to show him the works, as it were?"

"Of course" the droid replied, dipping its head in acknowledgement. Without a trace of fear, the unit approached Grievous. "Greetings sir. I am Gambler Shark Unit F1-3H. If you would kindly follow me, I will show you our vast collection of competitive pods and stations".

Grievous stood rooted to the spot, as the droid marched past him. Oblivious, the unit turned around once it realised it had a slight head start on its visitor. "Please, this way," it said politely offering a hand. "There are many items to observe from all corners of the galaxy".

"Go on Grievous" a second voice added, and Grievous' head whipped around. Gunray was smiling at him. "There is no harm in having a simple look around now is there?" The question was directed at no one in particular but again, Gunray gave no one the chance to reply.

"This is my wager, so in order of fairness I will let you choose the game that we shall play, eh Grievous," Gunray said 'caringly'. "Of course, if nothing here catches your fancy then I promise" he put a hand over his heart "to postpone the gambit, until a more convenient opportunity arises. As the old saying goes; one step at a time, though, hey General".

Grievous ignored him and exchanged a dark glance with San Hill. Evidently, they both sincerely hoped that in Gunray's words '_a more convenient opportunity_' never presented itself. On the other hand, there was simply no harm in accepting this simple request. Their course of action was simple; all Grievous had to do was put up with a short meaningless tour around the room, pretending to take an interest. Once it was over, he would simply claim that there was nothing in here that sparked his interest, whereupon San Hill would step on in, make his excuses, before he Grievous and the rest of the Muun procession withdrew from the scenes.

There was nothing to lose, except their time of course but then again plenty of that had been wasted already. So Grievous walked over to the droid without complaint. He stopped by its side and watched as the droid extended an arm towards the nearest set of tables. "This here is our Dejarik table and over there our Sabacc table. These are our most standard but at the same time equally popular games. Both were invented nearly six galactic standard thousand years ago. In both cases opposing players -"

The droid was anything, if not thorough. Over the course of the next twenty minutes, the droid led Grievous from table to table and station to station. Stopping at or between each one, it introduced Grievous to its name, place of origin, before meticulously running through all of the rules and guidelines of each game. Recognising that he would never remember all of the rules, Grievous quickly gave up. His gaze became unfocused and he barely listened to a word that the droid was saying. Several times, he worked hard to suppress a yawn as he gazed absentmindedly across the room.

As the card shark started droning on about some game, which Grievous had already forgotten the name of the Kaleesh cast another glance across the room. His gaze ultimately, settled on the ornate box packed with piles of credits, still resting on the elongated and thick gaming table. He was just thinking, '_What a waste_' in regards to the credits when he coughed absentmindedly, catching the droids attention.

It followed his gaze.

"Oh," it said sincerely, misinterpreting the situation. "I am sorry sir. Where you interested in looking at the B.A.W.S.S instead?"

Grievous turned his head sharply, to look at the droid. "The B.A.S what now?"

"The B.A.W.S.S" the droid repeated kindly. "It stands for Battle and Warfare Strategic Simulation. It is a battlefield strategy game".

Grievous' slouched posture suddenly became more erect and he felt a stab of interest course through him. **A battlefield strategy game**?

As if reading the Kaleesh's body language the Card Shark asked him to follow. He led Grievous over to the table, where they stood in front of a control panel on the opposite side of the Neimoidian treasure chest. There it raised its left hand, which instead of a hand appendage possessed a flat rectangular shaped object that was consistently held at a right angle and looked much like a data-card or key. Inserting this card into the terminal it rotated anti-clockwise then used its other hand to type a series of commands into the adjacent keyboard.

With a small whir and a shimmer of light the device sprang to life, coalescing into a series of holo-images that correlated with the droid's subsequent dialect.

"The Battle and Warfare Strategic Simulation is a turn based three-dimensional strategy game designed to test the competitor's wit, and ability to adapt under pressure. Opposing players are pitted against each other on a randomly selected terrain, which will serve as the field of battle, with their headquarters established at opposing ends. The player's forces and factions are ones of their choosing, no two players may pit forces of the same faction against each other. Before the game begins each player is also given a data card to which a pre-arranged number of credits have been downloaded onto; both cards must be of equal value in order for gaming to proceed. Throughout the course of the game, each player can use their credits to purchase new supplies, troops or upgrades for their army. Over the course of the game, which is an unlimited amount of turns the opposing sides work to destroy each other's armies and bases or to force the other player into surrendering. The first player to complete either of these objectives wins the game alongside all of the credits accumulated in the games repository box and the other player's computer gaming card. For the benefit of first time players, a short video tutorial is provided and an instruction manual is available to access at any point".

Its explanation finished the droid turned to the Kaleesh, then asked: "Is there anything else you wish to know or examine sir, or is this your chosen activity?"

Grievous did not appear to register this last remark, in fact, he barely appeared to have taken in a word that the droid had said. His attention was on the various succession of images, which showed Starfighters, soldiers and land vehicles of all shapes and sizes engaging one another in climatic confrontations. The Kaleesh looked upon those images with absolute reverence. Something about them triggered deep, happy memories for him.

Perhaps they reminded him of the hardships he had endured. On the other hand, they may have simply referred to a time when Grievous' life wasn't dictated by others but by fate. He thought of the family he left behind, his people, Kalee, his elite Izvoshra and most of all his beloved Ronderu.

_It was strange_ he thought, _that something as artificial as this should make him feel this way_. He reached out with a taloned hand and caressed the smooth surface, almost tenderly. Secretly, Grievous gave praise to the machines programmers and designers, who had evidently gone to no trouble to make their simulations seem as life-like as possible.

"Yes," a voice said, the word bringing Grievous back to reality with a jolt. He wheeled around to see Viceroy Nute Gunray staring at him. The Neimoidian was smirking. "Yes", he repeated "I rather thought you might like that one" Gunray elaborated in a sly, suspicious manner that grin still plastered across his face.

"As such I took the liberty of purchasing these, for the benefit of both players". As he spoke, Gunray reached into his pockets and drew out a pair of square black discs, with gold trimmings at one end. "These are your gaming cards," he said by way of explanation. "They are a requirement for this game, as you heard. Both have the rather motley sum of three million credits upon them".

Grievous' frown was concealed beneath his bone plate mask. _Another display of wealth_, he thought darkly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw San Hill stiffen again, but the Viceroy paid no attention. He was bearing down upon Grievous now.

"So, how about it then?" the Neimoidian asked in mock kindness, lowering his left hand and clenching it around the gaming card, whilst keeping his left palm open. "Care to make a little wager with us?" He was right in front of the Kaleesh now. Grievous' golden eyes bore into him but the Neimoidian did not seem the least bit intimidated.

"Remember you are a free man until you are called back for duty, which as Hill has already pointed out will only take place when you are back on board his ship, bound for Muunilinst. Until then you are free to act as you wish, as long as it is within reason of course".

Grievous gave no answer. Though his body remained rigid, his posture unafraid the Kaleesh shot a quick cautious look directed at San Hill. The Muun said nothing, but none the less caught Grievous' eye and shot him a warning look. Grievous recognised that glare for what it was, a dire warning.

He was treading on thin ice here.

Grievous was not stupid. He recognised that if he complied with the Viceroy's request, then his actions would have consequences. Few who defied the will of the Banking Clan Leaders ever got away with it, and Grievous did not want to run the risk of doing anything that could affect the sanctity of his people.

On the other hand, if he denied the Viceroy and complied with his employee's desires then he ran the risk of upsetting the Trade Federation's corporation leaders instead. Admittedly, Grievous did not know them all that well but it was clear from the few encounters that he'd had with them that they were very powerful. They had paid for all of this and given him several million credits after all.

In either case, the situation did not look too hopeful for him. He considered his potential response very carefully.

Recognising the Kaleesh's internal conflict, enabled Gunray to produce his most hideous, sinister smile yet. His lips stretched so wide and thin they almost seemed to disappear into the creases and folds of his face. When the Neimoidian spoke his words were calm, his tone almost seductive, and yet each word dripped with poison.

"I am offering you the opportunity to create your own personal droid units here, Grievous," he said, promptly nodding towards the box of credits, still resting on the table beside them. "An entire legions worth of sophisticated battle droids!" Still, Grievous hesitated and in the absence of the desired effect the Neimoidian sighed, before adding almost casually. "It was what was requested after all".

These words had a profound effect upon Grievous, who straightened up very suddenly. "What do you mean?!" he demanded, staring intently at the Viceroy.

"Hmm?" the Viceroy said in a tone of feigned ignorance, exchanging a 'distinctly' puzzled glance between San Hill and Grievous. "What you mean you don't know?" he asked mockingly. Following this up with a short, swift laugh he explained. "Oh, I am sorry there, I was unaware of your ignorance Grievous. It's just that following the meeting in which you presented your stupendous designs before myself, Hill and the rest of the gathering, we were contacted by how should I put it a mutual acquaintance of ours".

Grievous said nothing, his gaze fixed intently on the Viceroy. These actions were not unheard of, Hill and his associates probably had dozens of contacts unable to reach or attend the meetings in person, who required subsequence updates via holo-contact. Out of the corner of his eye, however, the Kaleesh distinctly saw San Hill and several of the other Banking Clan leaders wave pleading hands at the Viceroy's back, much to the amusement of the Neimoidian spectators.

"I told you earlier that a new power is rising" the Viceroy continued, ignoring the Muuns silent appeals. "One intended to benefit the entire galaxy, though exactly what size and shape this new order shall take upon its christening remains to be seen. Needless to say, this mutual associate of ours is both highly respected and a much-needed ally for of both our corporations. On that particular day, unfortunately, we were operating on a rather tight schedule and were a few minutes late in contacting him. As such we needed an excuse in order to placate him and thanks to an ingenious stroke of suggestion from San Hill we decided simply to tell this figure the truth and present him, with your plans".

The Kaleesh warlord stiffened at this comment. Barely moving his fists started to tremble as he clenched them tightly. _Those plans were confidential, they were not meant to be distributed or advertised, especially not to somebody that he had never seen before. _

"Our friend was very impressed with what he saw, to say the least" Gunray added slowly and deliberately. "So much in fact that he _immediately ordered _your superiors to start putting these droids into production at once".

He sidestepped, allowing Grievous a clear view of the Muun spectators. The elongated figures had frozen and were suddenly looking nervous. Grievous glanced up, as San Hill hissed, in a rushed, noticeably squeaky voice something like "_Please, that is confidential -_" but Gunray simply ignored and overrode him.

"Naturally, of course, Hill could not refuse him, at least not his face at any rate," he said evilly. "Once the transmission had ended, however, I believe his main excuse was that; it would take too much time to organise and set up. I believe there was also a reference to the fact that it was a _relatively_ _impractical_ _investment_ without the benefit of a proper investor".

Behind him San Hill stiffened, the Muuns silent pleas froze tentatively on his lips. Colour started to drain from his tightened features, faster than wine from an overflowing goblet.

Smirking Gunray stepped even closer to Grievous, less than a foot separated them by now. "That is what I am offering you here, _General_," he said in a tender whisper, holding up his clenched palm. "A proper investment. A chance to create the droids that Hill originally denied you, and become a Warlord again". He took a tender step back, his gaze never faltering. "All that I ask is for something in return. Enter a game of chance with me, Grievous. A simple wager is all that stands between you and those new troops to command. Best me in a competition bearing in mind that this will be against something of equal value of course. This and more can be yours!"

He opened his palm and held out the data card.

It was Hill's turn to quail under the look that Grievous gave him, and the Muun secretly cursed himself as he took a fearful step back. The last remaining traces of his authority were lost in that simple action. Grievous glared threateningly at the rest of the Muun financiers and investors, for a few more seconds, as if daring them to halt or protest against his actions. None were foolish enough.

Caution and reason were abandoned, as Grievous turned back to Viceroy Nute Gunray and snatched up the gaming card. "Very well then Viceroy" hand curling in a tight fist around the small object, as he held up a clenched fist. "I accept your challenge! We shall play this game" he declared gesturing towards the electronic table beside him.

"But of course, Grievous," the Neimoidian said politely, "but of course". His smile never faltering, he added "Unfortunately I myself am not very good at this particular game. In the context od fairness, would you mind if I were to say, nominate someone from my contingent to stand in for me?" He gestured at the said group with an open palm. "General Zinerae perhaps, he has a basic understanding of the rules ..." three fingers and the thumb of the said palm curled inwards so that a single, stubby finger pointed at the relevant creature.

General Zinerae approached them. He was a little shorter, and much more solid than the Viceroy but dressed no less resplendent. His clothing was a vivid bright turquoise cloak beneath which he wore a shadowy grey robe, emblazoned with a strange gold symbol, no doubt an indication of his rank. His head dress was similar to that of a Neimoidian aide, except that it two was grey in colour and possessed a distinctive gold trimming. The General dipped his head at Grievous and offered a very dry greeting. Grievous did not return the pleasantry, he simply stared at the two Neimoidians and did not like the way that they were grinning at each other.

Something was going on here ...!

"I promise a game that you will not forget", the Viceroy assured him, resting his free hand on the second Neimoidians shoulder. "General Zinerae shall make for an excellent and worthy adversary. That is unless you wish to back out of this little venture of course?" he said mockingly.

His attitude roused Grievous' suspicions even further. "Just so that we are on the same page here, what exactly are those stakes?" Grievous demanded. "Throughout this conversation, you have made numerous references to my battle droid designs but I don't seem to recall you ever making a counter offer on your part".

"Oh, didn't I?" Gunray said mockingly. He laughed uproariously, as did Zinerae and several of the other Neimoidian aides. A smile still present on his face, Gunray held up a hand for silence, which fell after several long extensive seconds. He took a step forward and stood between the two military commanders.

"I assure you, it is very simple Grievous," he told the Kaleesh coolly. "If you win, then I shall of course, as you have so kindly pointed out, bequeath all of the said credits in this container" he patted the lid of the ornate box once again "to you and your employers, under the strictest instruction that they are to be used solely for the production and development of your battle droids".

He held up a finger for emphasis then lowered it, and stared purposefully at Grievous.

His sly smile was back again.

"In the event that you lose, however, I shall take these credits back". His hand had returned to the lid of the box, and this time, it rested there. That sinister smile was back on Gunray's features. "As for you my friend; you shall agree to abandon your contract with the Intergalactic Banking Clan and then come and work for me".

A deathly silence followed this remark, although several of the audience members stiffened. Grievous visibly flinched. "What? Come and – and work for you and the-the Trade Federation?" he stuttered, as if not quite able to be what he had just heard.

"But of course" the Neimoidian acknowledged. "As I have said many times before you have a very particular set of skills and a unique record. The sort of experience that the Trade Federation can certainly put to good use, and in a much more appropriate manner than any of your current employers could!" He said it as if the Muuns were not there and they glowered at him, but otherwise said nothing.

Grievous was cursing himself silently. "_His original offer, I should have known!" _he realised but it was too late to do anything about it. He opened his mouth to say something, but the Neimoidian as if sensing what Grievous was about to do held up a hand for silence.

The Kaleesh's protests died in his throat.

"You would enter our fold as an active field agent. A military adviser and General. Lavish awards and prosperity await those that successfully serve amongst the Trade Federations ranks. If you have any concerns, you are of course more than welcome to raise them with us. The Trade Federation is more than willing to take care of its own, it is what we are best at after all. Besides-" he said as he leant closer to Grievous leering. "You are a Kaleesh warlord. I have issued you a challenge and you have already accepted it. You are honour bound to uphold end of the bargain Grievous, that is of course unless you wish to tarnish that said honour of yours!"

"_Who do you think you are to talk about honour and duty?!_" Grievous thought savagely. "_You refused to accept the answer I originally gave you, and so you lured me here under the pretext of understanding_". He felt himself shivering with anger, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.

"So then Grievous," the Viceroy said, ignorant of the Kaleesh's trail of thought "what do you say?"

Grievous stilled his temper abating as quickly as it had risen, as he contemplated the situation at hand. He had gotten himself into this huge predicament, that much was obvious. The only question was; how should he deal with it?!

He cast his gaze around the room as if hoping for some form of guidance or indication about what he should do. His reptilian eyes looked at the card in his hand, then at the large box of credits both of which contained an exceptionally large fortune.

He glanced at San Hill and the rest of the Muuns who gazed at him disapprovingly.

Turning to Rune Haako and the rest of the Neimoidian procession, he noticed how they were watching him expectantly.

Both the Chiss and Twi'lek gave him sympathetic looks, whilst the three droids simply stared at him blankly.

Finally, he turned his gaze upon the Neimoidian General and his superior officer, who were both staring at Grievous triumphantly and expectantly.

And as he looked upon the Neimoidians features it came to him. The Kaleesh was not sure exactly what it was that triggered it but he recalled something that his father had once said to him, a very, very long time ago.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

* * *

_The lesson had deviated from the standard routine. Usually, the pair headed into the forest so that the older Kaleesh could instruct his son in the art of tracking, camouflage or combat but instead the older Kaleesh had told his son that they would remain at their shelter today. _

_The other residents had been ejected discourteously but offered no protest. It was a sacred, long-standing tradition that Kaleesh children be trained by their most veteran parent. Anyone outside the immediate family was not permitted to watch, and training should never be interrupted unless in an absolute emergency._

_As an only child, the young Qymaen rarely trained with anybody else._

_His father's choice of lesson had been an unprecedented one. His weapons lay neatly arranged on a nearby table, and there were no animals for them to skin or extract edible materials from this time. Instead, he had picked up three stone bowls that the family used for eating and set them down on the floor in front of his son._

_He dropped a set of cubes inscribed with several glyphs on all sides into one of the bowls, then instructing his son not to move so much as an inch he left the tent momentarily. He returned a short time later with a Spiny Frilled Lizard in one hand. The creature had barky green skin, and as the name suggested a large frill dominated its spine covered back. The lizard's mouth was open and it was hissing revealing several sharp teeth, as it wriggled continuously._

_The Kaleesh paid little attention, however, his grip as tight and uncompromising as his glare. Sitting across from his son he held up the creature momentarily before stuffing it inside one of the bowls. Before the creature even realised it was free, its makeshift prison was turned over upon it. The boy's father did the same with the other two bowls before shuffling them around. There was a pause in which the older male listened for any sounds. Satisfied when none was heard, he reached out and picked up the cubes, setting one on top of the other before transferring them to palm._

_He turned to his student. "Roll a higher number than me" he instructed, as he held out the hand clutching the dice. "Then when you think you know the answer lift up the bowl containing the lizard and pick it up. Do not let it escape!" he warned. _

_"We shall not stop until you have achieved this seven times in a row". With that, he dropped the dice in between them. They settled, the results adding up to an eight. The father turned his eyes expectantly upon his son. _

_Feeling slightly stupid, but not daring to question him, young Qymaen reached out and took the dice in his hands. He shook them for a moment and then rolled them. They settled on a number six. _

_Without comment, his father snatched up the dice and rolled them again scoring a twelve. "Again!" he instructed._

_Qymaen rolled a two._

_"Again!" came the monotonic response, repeating the process and scoring a ten._

_The boy rolled and was rewarded with an eleven. "Good" his father whispered, nodding approvingly. "Now choose," he said indicating the bowls. The boy hesitated not sure what he was looking for. As his father had taught him he studied each of the objects in front of him, looking for some tell-tale sign as to the location of his quarry. _

_There wasn't any, the bowls were indistinct and unremarkable. In the end, Qymaen simply guessed, picking the bowl on the left he lifted it curiously but there was nothing inside. His father growled disapprovingly, then expertly flipped over the bowl on the opposite side grabbing the lizard before it could even move two inches away._

_He stuffed it into the middle bowl, turned the left one over and shuffled them around once more. Then he scooped up the dice, repeating that single word to his son. "Again" he instructed before rolling the dice. _

_It went on like this for hours. The young Qymaen was uncomfortable, his limbs aching from the repetitive motions, his belly grumbling from lack of sustenance. Yet he did not object, for this was not the way of a Kaleesh warrior but persevered. _

_'The ways of our culture, style of warfare and very world are harsh, uncompromising and unforgiving' his father had once had told the boy when the later complained during one of their training sessions. 'Stray but a single step and one of many factors shall kill you. They will not show compassion or mercy, and nor shall I!'_

_His son never objected again following that lecture. Whilst the opposite of abusive, Qymaen's father had been strict, focused and goal driven. _

_The hours dragged by, and yet the boy continued to roll those dice. Sometimes he succeeded in beating his father, sometimes he didn't. On those sparse occasions when he was successful he attempted to find his hidden quarry._

_This was met once again with mixed success. To start off with he was not very good at guessing where the creature was hidden. As time went by, however, the boy started to watch his father more closely as he mixed up the bowls. He also found that whilst no sound could get through the thick stone vessel the lizard constantly scratched at its side causing small barely discernible vibrations. _

_So he wrapped then rested his knuckle on each of the bowls in turn until he found the one containing the lizard. The small reptile continued to struggle. It wriggled endlessly and sometimes bit or scratched him when he tried to pick it up. Any time that this happened Grievous' father would take the squirming, shrieking creature, check that his son's hand wasn't bleeding too badly before saying, "It isn't too bad or deep. Bear through it" then they would continue to repeat the process. _

_Only when the sun had reached its zenith did the young Grievous finally figure out how to correctly handle the lizard, and he was finally able to retrieve it without sustaining further injury. By far the more difficult task was achieving his father's objective of beating him in a dice roll seven times straight. _

_The sun was starting to set now and so far, Qymaen had only managed to beat his father four times before the dice roll let him down. Now aiming for a new attempt the child screwed his eyes up in concentration and rolled the dice. The results were good, now for the lizard. Wrapping each of the bowls with a curled finger he waited for the vibration caused by the tell-tale scratches._

_He flipped over the bowl exposing the lizard. Before the boy could react his father snatched the lizard from up off the ground. "Enough," he said simply, and the boy's hands stilled. "Your objective is complete, you have learnt the values of determination, concentration and perseverance"._

_Young Qymaen looked confused and slightly taken aback. "But ..." he said hesitantly looking from the bowls to his father, "I did not complete your original objective. I wasn't able to beat you seven times". _

_"Nor where you meant too" came the simple response. The Kaleesh male's eyes shone brightly, not with anger, but pride. He was pleased that his son had recognised this. His son looked even more confused._

_"This was a different type of lesson, compared to your previous ones. The objective that I gave you today was practically impossible". Qymaen stared at his father, who as if reading his son's mind answered the unasked question._

_"An analytical mind, a determined heart, the willingness to persevere and the ability to spot your enemies weakness are key aspects that can be used to turn any situation to your advantage. This is a fundamental aspect not just in war, but in life as well"._

_"Life?" Qymaen whispered before he could help himself._

_"Yes boy, life as well" his father insisted. The older Kaleesh held up the lizard, "This creature has a very basic instinct, and yet he shares the same primary objective as either of us; the determination and willingness to survive. What separates us from his instincts is our ability to perceive everything around us, whereas he focuses squarely on his own needs and desires."_

_"Life and war are very much alike my son; friends and enemies surround you on all sides. Whenever possible, they will seek to manipulate you to their own ends. It is how you choose to reach to it that demonstrates what type of character you are. Out there in the wild most predators rely upon utilising the forest around them to create ambushes before they show their hand and resort to brute force. Whether they succeed or not depends not only on their own skills but on a bit of luck as well" he picked up the dice and held them up between two fingers._

_"As demonstrated here, even when luck is on your side it is no guarantee of success. Luck can lead to overconfidence, arrogance and oversight, which the prey can turn to their advantage. Remember Qymaen, every creature has its weakness, all you need to do is to look closely enough. When an enemy tries to manipulate you bend the situation to your own advantage, focus on the way he moves and discover the one vital chink in his armour. Once you have found it, use anything and everything around you to press your own advantage. Then when the opportunity presents itself and your enemy is vulnerable, **retaliate and strike back without compromise!**"_

_"Aim straight for the jugular and victory shall be yours before your enemy even realises what is happening!" He slammed his fist into the ground, opening his palm and the lizard scarpered, making straight for the entrance towards the forest canopy. The boy just sat there drinking in his father's words, as he had been taught to do at every lesson._

_With a satisfied nod, the Kaleesh male rose steadily to his feet and stood up straight to stare down at his son. "Remember what I have taught you this day boy!" he proclaimed, as he did routinely at the end of every tutelage. "Your very survival could depend on it!"_

* * *

**_End of flashback_**

* * *

Grievous' facial muscles relaxed as the memory ended and he found himself looking into Viceroy Nute Gunray's less than appealing features. Behind him, the two pleasure slaves and the droids watched curiously. San Hill and his Muun entourage looked a little nervous, whilst Rune Haako and the Neimoidians watched with excited curiosity.

Grievous turned back to the Viceroy. His father had been right, in the great context of things life and warfare really weren't that different after all. He was standing on another playing field now between the Neimoidian and Muun's desires; both sides seeking to manipulate him to their own advantage. Yet whilst one side was cautious in its every move, the other was straightforward and demanding.

Grievous' eyes narrowed. _What should he do?_

The answer came to him in a flash. Well, they had both manipulated him, why should he not do the same thing to them?

As the Viceroy had already pointed out, he had already accepted the challenge, he was honour bound to fulfil that pledge. There were risks involved certainly but this was also an opportunity to improve his own standings at least among the Muun's and acquire the rights to his own personal entourage.

Despite this, he did not like the fact that everything was being carried out to the Viceroys specification and demands. Grievous was determined to find some way to level the playing field. Fortunately, he had an idea on how to do just that.

Straightening himself up to his full height the Kaleesh looked Viceroy Gunray straight in the eye.

"I will accept your offer Viceroy but only on two conditions!" He was pleased to see the Neimoidians eyebrows raise in silent curiosity, the smile fade slightly.

"Should I lose then I will honour the terms of our agreement, and come work for you. That being said, I wish to make one thing clear. My people are in dire trouble at the moment, which why I currently find myself in San Hill employ". There was little point in concealing this fact, the truth was bound to come out eventually. If he had to guess, though, Grievous suspected that the Neimoidian already knew about this.

The lack of a reaction and sympathetic tidings was all the confirmation that Grievous needed.

"In exchange for my services, you must agree to take the I.B.C 's place and help me liberate Kalee from its poverty. Do so and I will serve you faithfully. You can order me about any way you like, I will carry out any and all commands that you, provided you do this one small favour."

He gave the Viceroy a serious look to show that he was not kidding about this, but inwardly he was revolted. The notion of ever bowing down to Viceroy Gunray sickened Grievous, but at the moment his people's lives depended on him, and when it came to personal grievances against the safety and honour of his people there was no contest. Never the less it did not stop him from despising the Viceroy with every fibre of his being.

The sinister, satisfied smile was back on Gunray's features. "That seems quite reasonable," he said joyfully. "Perhaps we could even look at recruiting more Kaleesh". Grievous flinched noticeably. "Was there anything else?"

"Yes", Grievous said quickly. "You claim that the Trade Federation is the best at achieving employee satisfaction. I wish to see that for myself!" He stretched out a taloned finger, pointing a taloned finger at something over General Zinerae's right shoulder.

"The girls," he said simply. "Since you took the liberty of hiring them, I wish to spend some alone in their company. I wish for some leisure time, a good half a day in one of this station's most expensive hotel rooms so that I can personally evaluate their services. Let me see for myself whether or not the Trade Federation is any good at living up its promises".

It was Grievous' turn to grin. There was no doubt about it, this time, a noticeable trace of anger appeared on Gunray's face at this insult. General Zinerae likewise appeared insulted and shot Grievous an extremely disapproving look. The Kaleesh cast a sideways glance at San Hill and saw that he too was smirking as he glowered at his opponent.

Gunray's anger soon evaporated and was replaced by a moderated expression of casual calm. "But of course, I trust that you have no objection to this request either San?" He glanced at the Muun who had barely opened his mouth when Gunray said "Excellent! The I will get it organised right away". Gunray raised his voice slightly causing Rune Haako to gesture slightly and out of the corner of his eye Grievous noticed a Neimoidian aid give a swift bow, then turn and leave the facility.

"I trust that is to your satisfaction then Grievous?" Gunray asked politely.

"I suppose" came the blunt reply.

"So then, do we have a deal?" the Neimoidian stretched out a crinkled, gnarled hand.

Grievous' sharp golden eyes turned to meet Gunray's large bulbous ones. Once again he glanced at the Chiss, Twi'lek, Neimoidians and Muun's, who were watching expectantly, before turning back to the Viceroy.

They stared straight at each other.

Then very stiffly, Grievous inclined his head.

"Deal!" he said ...

... and they shook hands!

* * *

**End of Chapter 2**

**TO BE CONCLUDED...**

* * *

Well, there we have it, folks.

Only one more chapter to go now.

Please let me know what you think of this story so far and how I might improve it.

Once again, sorry about the extensive delay, a lot has been going on these past few months and have not been feeling too well lately, which has put a lot of strain on my writing time.

Hopefully, this will ease off a bit in the next few months, but we will just see how it goes.

Until next time I will see you all then!


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